


The Prince and The Pauper

by yutorin



Category: Hey! Say! JUMP, Johnny's Entertainment
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Baking, Everyone is gay and no one cares, Fade to black sex, Fashion designer Keito, Lots of sewing, Love Letters, M/M, OFC - Freeform, Okajima are besties, Originally Posted on LiveJournal, Originally based off of lj user ai_ai_gasa2's fic: The Prince's Princess, Originally written in 2011, Poor representation of Keito's dad, Prince Daiki, Servant Keito, Sexually Charged Swordfighting, Shakespeare, Staying together fic, Vague Terrorism, We love Kenichi in this house, You just can't tell from this fic, promise rings, well almost no one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-29
Updated: 2019-09-29
Packaged: 2020-11-07 16:31:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 58,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20820371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yutorin/pseuds/yutorin
Summary: Keito was a common citizen of the South Kingdom until the night his family's house burned down. Without anywhere to stay, they end up moving into the servant's section of the royal castle. There, along with his best friend Yuto, Keito meets the five royal princes...and catches Prince Daiki's eye.





	1. Chapter 1

Keito's eyes flew open, and he found himself surrounded in a grey haze. Confused and scared, he sat up in bed, and his eyes caught on a terrifying flickering glow. He gasped, as horror gripped his mind. The gasp was followed by a lot of coughing as his body tried to dispel the pungent smoke from his lungs.

"Mom!?" He swung out of bed, and made to go to his parents’ bedroom, but found his way marred by flames, licking up the walls of the hall. Everywhere was smoke, and he found it harder and harder to breathe, as he forced himself to continue on, through the fire infested halls. He had to find his parents. He only stopped once he had reached the doorway to their bedroom. The floor and ceiling had both collapsed, and the room was a furnace, no objects distinguishable. In desperation he called for them, but he didn't get any responses. He felt dizzy, lightheaded, and his knees buckled.

On his hands and knees he crawled back toward the kitchen, and at one point his pant leg caught on fire, but he patted it out and kept moving, his body on autopilot. His vision blurred, and he opened the door to the outside, and the moon shone overhead. He heard a scream―a voice that sounded reassuringly like his mother’s―before the smoke overtook his brain, and he lost consciousness.

**12 hours later**

Keito's head was spinning. He looked around the room. The king had just offered his family rooms to live in in the castle until their house could be rebuilt. Important, life changing things seemed to be fighting over these hours, all wanting to present themselves first. He was now homeless, with nothing but his family and the clothes he had worn to bed that night. His parents looked over the bedroom, and he let his eyes follow them as they shuffled around the room.

"Hi." A familiar voice made him turn his head to the doorway, where a tall, skinny boy smiled empathetically at him. He smiled back, glad of the familiar face. Yuto walked over, and pulled Keito into a hug. The embrace smelled of smoke. Yuto too had had his family's house destroyed. They had lived in the same neighborhood for the past few years, and were best friends. Through the smoke a hint of Yuto's scent calmed his heart, and when he pulled away Keito was already feeling a bit more optimistic.

"How's Raiya?" He asked, and Yuto shrugged.

"He'll be okay. He's actually already asleep, if you'd believe that. Today's been rough on him, poor thing."

"Today's been rough on everyone." Keito agreed, nodding. "How long d'you think it'll take to rebuild?" Yuto sent him a quizzical glance.

"Keito―they were burnt to the ground―completely destroyed. You were there, don't you remember? It's going to take forever before we have homes again."

"Really?"

Yuto nodded gravely.

"Don't you remember?"

"I―I passed out from the smoke...I didn't see it from outside." He admitted, and Yuto's expression twisted into one of horror. He was just about to launch into a rant about Keito's safety when they were interrupted by five figures in lavish tunics of rich colors. The five princes of the Southern Kingdom. One by one they introduced themselves. There was Prince Hikaru, who exuded an air of justice and responsibility; Prince Chinen, who was tiny and cute; Prince Yamada, who was strong looking but beautiful; Prince Inoo, who had a feminine grace in the way he moved and a feminine face; and last but not least was Prince Daiki, who's expression looked as though the young man had been whacked in the face. They were all amazingly handsome, and each prince had a circlet of gold resting on their heads, making them appear almost angelic. It made Keito feel small, despite being taller than all of them. They were awe inspiring. He introduced himself and smiled politely, bowing. When he glanced up his eyes met Prince Daiki's and the prince had a glow in his eyes that somehow resembled that of a child that had just seen a puppy, and had promised to himself that he would love the puppy forever. It was welcoming.

“Hey, d’you guys need help with anything?” Prince Hikaru asked. “Like unpacking and stuff?” Yuto got up the guts to respond, and he attempted to politely decline the offer.

“Thank you very much your majesty, but―” Prince Chinen interrupted with a small tutting noise.

“Oh please. Don’t do the whole ‘your majesty thing. Well, believe it or not, under all this royal-ness, I’m actually a normal kid. Please treat me like one.” Keito caught Yuto's eye over Prince Chinens head, and through the contact sent him support. Yuto sent a tiny half-smile back his way before managing to force out

“Um… Alright… Chinen-sama.” Unable to look at Prince Chinen as he attempted to follow the boys request. The little prince sighed.

“It’s a start.” Keito decided to come to Yuto's rescue. His intestines tied themselves in knots as he opened his mouth.

"But, um, as Yuto-kun was saying…We, uh, can’t unpack because… There isn’t anything for us to unpack.” He stumbled a bit over his words, and he refused to look them in the eyes, instead looking down at his toes.

“Oh. Right.” Prince Hikaru blushed a bit. “I feel really lame right now.” The prince's casualty was surprising, unexpected.

"I have an idea! Let’s all go shopping tomorrow.” Prince Chinen's eyes shone a bit at the prospect. Keito looked at Yuto. Was this okay? This couldn't be a good idea. Where was the catch?

“We’ll buy your stuff!” Chinen singsonged, eyes big and pleading.

“We couldn’t possibly―” Keito started.

“Please~”

“Um… Okay.” Yuto gave in to the little boy's big eyes. “Thank you so much, Chinen-sama.”

Chinen broke out in a grin, and exclaimed enthusiastically

“Of course! Oh, this’ll be so much fun!”

Prince Inoo nodded.

“Yep. It’s a… Date, huh Dai-chan?” _Dai-chan? Prince Daiki's nickname is Dai-chan? That is so cute!_ Prince Inoo smirked as if he knew a secret, and Prince Daiki muttered something along the lines of "I hate you." Prince Inoo's only response was to point his tongue in Prince Daiki's direction. Keito searched the other princes expressions, wondering about this exchange, but they looked as clueless as he was. With an awkward goodbye, the princes filed out of the room, and without all of the royalty in it, it seemed as if the space had gotten darker, more sullen. Yuto took Keito around the hall, pointing out the different rooms until they reached the one that was for him.

"Raiya and and I are next door, okay?" Yuto told him, before leaving to go and check in on his little brother. In his numb state Keito let his eyes sweep the room. _His_ room. It was small and almost perfectly square, with a bed pressed against the back wall. The walls were painted a once-warm olive green, and the bed frame and chest of drawers were a matching set made out of dark oak wood, with shiny bronze handles and knobs. The bed had a set of plain white sheets on it, and next to it was a little circular table with a little oil lamp resting on top, dusty from it's lack of use. The floor was made out of stone, like the hall was, and it was cold on Keito's feet. The best part of the room was the little window by the bed, and through it Keito could see that the sun was nearly set, twilight in its final stages before the blanket that was night would fall upon the castle. Drained from his long, life changing day, Keito took off all of his clothes except his underwear and folded them, putting them in a little pile under his bed, before crawling under the sheets, and falling fast asleep, shutting all thought out of his mind.

Keito woke to a small yelping sound. He blinked. Moonlight shone in through the window, hitting his sheets on the foot of his bed. It was late into the night. He listened to the night, and heard it again. It was a person, the noise coming from the room on the right of his. Yuto and Raiya's room. Keito stumbled out of bed, his feet silent on the stone floor as he pitter-pattered over to the other room, opening the door with a small creak. The Nakajima brothers' room was bigger than his, with an extra bed and chest. The noise was coming from the bed at the back of the room. It was Yuto. He was asleep, but tears were streaming down his cheeks, and he was squeezing his top sheet into twisted knots of fabric. Across the room Raiya slept silently. Cautiously Keito crept up to the bed, looking down at his sleeping friend for a moment, debating with himself before leaning down and putting a hand on Yuto's shoulder, gently shaking him. He boy didn't wake, so instead Keito gently wiped his tears away, and climbed into the bed with the lanky boy, sitting with his back against the headboard. Once he got situated, he looked over to see Yuto's big brown eyes looking up at him. He looked like a puppy that had just been kicked. Keito opened his arms, and Yuto reached out for him, engulfing himself in Keito as he let himself cry. He looked up into Keito's face for a moment, and Keito whispered

"I know." Those were the only words shared between them, but they understood. They both felt this way. There wasn't need for explanation. Keito let his friend cry, and he rubbed his back, tracing his fingers in curvy lines and swirls until Yuto's body stopped shaking with sobs, and eventually his breathing evened out, and he fell asleep, his head resting on Keito's chest. Ketio sat there in the bed, now alone in a sense, and he looked out past the foot of the bed at the puddle of light the moon was making on the stone floor. In his old house the floors had been tatami mats. He looked down at Yuto's sleeping face, the boys tears still wet on his cheeks. He choked up as the helplessness and grief he had been holding inside spilled over, and his vision blurred with tears. His body shook, but he kept silent as he cried, his warm tears dripping off of his nose and onto Yuto's cheeks, mingling with Yuto's own. There were no words, only this awful feeling, and it seemed never-ending. But at some point Keito must have cried all of his tears, because without noticing he drifted off to sleep.

"Here you go, honey." Mrs. Nakajima set a bowl of steaming soup on the bar counter in front of Keito, a small smile on her face. Keito bowed his head and thanked her for the food, before bringing the wooden edge of the bowl to his lips. It was delicious. The soup shot a bolt of warmth down his spine and limbs and it settled in his stomach, where it licked at his insides like a flame, this flame comforting and relaxing. He looked gratefully up at Yuto's mother

"It's perfect. You're amazing." She smiled gratefully at him.

"That's what they tell me."

"They?"

"The princes. Making good food is my job Keito. My husband and I are the head chefs here at the castle. We cook everything the royal family eats. This is what I usually make for the boys when they're sick. I thought you might appreciate it." Keito looked down into his bowl, contemplating this. Trying to imagine any of the princes falling ill. It didn't work.

Just as he was finishing the dregs of his soup Yuto walked in, greeting his mother before turning to Keito.

"_They_ are here to get us. You ready?" Keito's only response was to stand up, and brush a strand of Yuto's bangs out of the tall boys eyes. Yuto gave him a small smile, and together they went to go greet the five prince brothers.


	2. Chapter 2

"Good morning!" Prince Chinen called to them, from his perch atop Prince Hikaru's shoulders. Keito bowed in response, the sight of his shopping companions making him extremely aware of himself.

"Shall we go then?" Prince Inoo said after a small awkward pause, and with a nod from Prince Hikaru they all clustered together and in a bundle they left he castle grounds, down a winding path and over a couple of hills until the first village—Keito's village—came into view. He sped up, with his neighborhood so close by it felt like it would be so easy. So easy to just walk back in the front door with a call of "I'm home." He realized as he sped up that some part of him hadn't accepted it yet. Hadn't given up all hope yet. He wanted to believe. He wanted so badly to believe that there was something left. Without thinking he turned, following the familiar path that would take him home.

The others followed without question, and he probably wouldn't have noticed if they had asked, as immersed in this hope and dread that were warring over his body as he was. His subconscious noted the taste of smoke in the air, and when he rounded the last corner his insides froze. He took the last few steps and stopped in front of his house. The skeleton that once was his house. It was all charred black, and walls had tumbled down on the left side, the roof was caved in, and seeing it—seeing the destruction hit him harder than anything had thus far. Harder than moving in to the castle. Harder than Yuto's nightmare. He felt himself shaking, as his heart broke into little pieces, and his composure slipped, his breathing becoming ragged as he held in tears. He was screaming on the inside, tortured wrenching screams—because this was torture.

Something warm and firm slipped into his hand, and when he felt fingers lace with his own he realized what it was. His gaze wrenched from the corpse of his home to look down into the eyes of Prince Daiki, the prince's warm eyes somehow comforting. His grip was tight on Keito's hand, and Keito focused his senses on the warm strength there, trying to calm his breathing.

“Um… Let’s go to the market, ‘k?” Prince Yamada's voice was light, but he had his eyes averted from the wreckage, looking up at the sky.

“That… That’s what we came for.” Yamada turned his gaze to Prince Hikaru, but everyone nodded collectively, and they turned their backs on the destruction, following Prince Yamada and Prince Hikaru back down the road and too the bazaar, their original destination. Prince Daiki gave Keito's hand a squeeze, leading him by their interlocked fingers away from the house. Keito allowed himself to be led, no longer comprehending his surroundings or his situation. This changed when he spotted a set of familiar faces. His father noticed them first, and when their eyes met Keito felt his self consciousness return in a wave, as he was brought out of his stunned numbness and back to the present. Suddenly he felt embarrassed and improper being there with the princes, who was he to touch Prince Daiki? He was just a homeless peasant boy, while Prince Daiki was an important member of the royal family. Keito tried to pull his hand away, mentally cursing himself for his careless behavior. He tried. The prince's grip tightened with a surprising amount of strength, and he sent a small questioning glance up at Keito's face.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't—" Keito's glance at their intertwined fingers explained enough. Prince Daiki shook his head, readjusting his small hand in Keito's larger one.

"Don't worry about that." The short prince said quietly, and Keito didn't have a chance to respond before they had reached his parents, who were with Yuto's apparently out shopping for the essentials, like they were. The prince brothers insisted on buying their parents' goods, and Keito found himself following the parade like a stray dog, with Prince Daiki at his side. He bowed to everyone that greeted them, and as the event neared it's end he made use of himself by opening all of the doors for the others, laden down with their spoils from shopping. Soon the parents had everything they would need, and they were saying their goodbyes.

“We don’t know how to thank you. We are in your debt.” Yuto's mom had big appreciative eyes, and a smile that radiated gratefulness. Keito knew he wouldn't be comfortable with someone looking at him like that—Prince Hikaru didn't seem uncomfortable in the slightest, smiling one of the most majestic smiles Keito had ever seen.

“Just… Okamoto-san, continue to make wonderful clothes. Nakajima-san, keep making us wonderful food, and we’ll be even.” Prince Hikaru's request was met with two "We will your majesty."'s from the adults, and when Keito's parents bowed he joined them, once again attempting to let go of Prince Daiki's hand, in order to bow properly. This time the prince did let it go, but slyly slipped their fingers back together as soon as Keito rose back to his full stature. Prince Hikaru watched the parents go with a satisfied smile, and Prince Yamada noticed the look, and shook his head.

“Your princely-ness puts us to shame.” The beautiful young prince commented, and Prince Hikaru grinned a toothy grin.

“Thank you. Now c’mon—lets go shopping~!”

They made a beeline for the clothing places, as clothes really was most of what Yuto and Keito needed. That was when the princes dropped the polite royal act they had maintained around the adults and truly enjoyed themselves. They split up into two groups: Prince Hikaru, Prince Chinen, and Prince Inoo taking charge of rebuilding Yuto's wardrobe, while Prince Yamada and Prince Daiki were in charge of Keito's clothing. As the boys flipped through the racks they chattered about fashion and what would look good on Keito and Yuto (or in their words 'Nakajima-kun and Okamoto-kun'), they constantly asked questions like "Do you like this color?" and "What do you think about this? This would look good on you." Prince Daiki took Keito through the clothes with a leading hand, occasionally stopping to pick something out, placing the garments over his shoulder. Keito was still uncomfortable with the whole situation. He wasn't okay with letting the princes buy him anything more than necessary. This was proving to be rather difficult.

"I found some awesome tops Okamoto-kun! I was thinking a monotone themed wardrobe would look good on you, so they're all black and white! You like that, right? Well, except this one, this shade of blue was just too pretty, and it will look great with your hair, and—" Prince Yamada's overexcited rant was cut off by Yuto's excited squeals. Somehow Yuto had managed to relax around the prince boys, and Keito envied his ability to adapt. Right now he was cooing over Prince Yamada's fashion choices for Keito, and quite honestly Keito was beginning to feel like a doll. Prince Daiki gave his hand a reassuring squeeze, and Keito felt himself relax just a bit.

"What is it, Okamoto-kun?" The prince's low voice was patient and open sounding.

"I don't want your family to spend a lot of money on me...I don't need much. That's more than plenty. I...I should put it back." Prince Daiki looked over at where Prince Yamada and Prince Hikaru were examining jewelry, and he let out a low laugh.

"They're having a lot of fun. Just let them go, this is making them happy. Besides, they're going to love seeing you in the clothes they picked out." There was a pause. "So will I." The last sentence was tacked on in a mumble and Prince Daiki's face was red, but he just smiled and pulled Keito over to the bangles, beginning to examine them himself. Keito felt himself relax just a little bit more by the assurances, and he didn't protest anymore after that.

Once the royal brothers had decided they had the perfect wardrobe for Yuto and Keito they paid the makers of the clothing, and the items were wrapped in paper and tied in bundles with twine for them. Keito helped doing the wrapping, he knew the lady, she was a wonderful woman with four children that lived a couple of streets down, and he was glad of another familiar face. She was grateful for the help; the princes had bought a lot of clothing. They said goodbye to the woman, and paraded back up to the castle, making their way in a clump to the stretch of hallway that Yuto and Keito's families were staying in. They all stood there awkwardly at the doorway to Keito's bedroom, Keito attempting to take his new things from the other boys arms, but Prince Daiki refusing to let go of his hand.

"Um..." Keito sent him a glance, and as of broken out of a deep thought Prince Daiki blinked a few times, and turned bright red, pulling his hand from Keito's almost sharply.

“Sorry Okamoto-kun.” Keito felt his face turning red, and quickly busied himself by gathering up all of the parcels in his arms. Prince Hikaru watched him with a bit of surprise.

“Well, do you want us to help you with unpacking now?"

“You don’t have to, Hikaru-sama.” Yuto took some of the parcels from Keito's arms as he spoke.

"I know, but-” Prince Hikaru was cut off by a maid, peeking her head around the corner.

“Excuse me. The King requests an audience with his sons and daughter. He is waiting in the front room.” Having delivered her message she slipped away, but not before Prince Chinens “Thanks. We’re on our way!” met her ears. The little prince turned back to Keito and Yuto.

“We’ll see you guys later, okay? Bye Nakajima-kun and… Keito-kun.” Keito was rather confused by the use of his first name out of the two of them, Yuto had gotten along with them much better than he had. The princes all said goodbye, and Keito bowed courteously until they were out of sight.

Keito dumped his new clothes onto his bed, Yuto following along behind him. They organized the clothing, and put it all away in the chest of drawers. The princes had even gotten Keito new accessories, and not knowing what else to do with them, he placed the bracelets and necklaces on his bedside table.

"You should wear some of this, you know. You'll look so good!" Yuto told Keito as he helped him put away his new clothes. "Besides, you're killing those. You need to wear a shirt that doesn't have holes in it." Keito looked down at himself. Holes? Yuto knew what he was thinking, and gestured over to a mirror hanging by the dresser that Keito hadn't noticed previously. Keito stood up, examining his reflection. His clothes were stained and worn looking, frayed holes at the seems. He also was beginning to think he needed a haircut. Overall, he looked like what he was: a poor homeless boy.

"Here, I'll pick something out for you." Yuto declared, rummaging through all of the newly sorted clothes with a determined look on his face. He paused, looking up with a light in his eye.

"You find me something! Okay?" Keito didn't have a reason to argue. He padded one room over to where Yuto had plopped all of his new clothes on his bed, and began to sort through everything. He immediately realized that half of the clothes were obviously meant for Raiya; there was no way Yuto could fit in those. He put Raiya's clothes aside, and turned his attention to his tall friends new garments. Yuto's new wardrobe was full of bright warm colors, rich reds and yellows, with gold stitching. Everything looked light and comfortable, and _optimistic_. They were slightly attention grabbing, but not in a showy or gaudy way, but in a unique way, simply unafraid.

They were nothing like the clothes of a commoner. These clothes spoke of the freedom to buy clothes not with only practicality in mind, but with fashion. The clothes looked perfectly Yuto. Keito was amazed by how befitting they were, as though they were meant for his friend. The prince's had been able to pinpoint things that Yuto would like, and look good in. Keito eventually picked a pair of tan trousers made of some soft material, and a loose orange shirt with a neck hole so wide that he knew it would hang off of one shoulder. He accessorized it with a beaded bracelet he found in one of the smaller parcels, and a pair of new brown leather moccasins, with fur on the inside. Once he had completed his outfit he took the clothing and wandered back into his room, where Yuto was sitting on the bed, little giggles bursting from tightly pressed lips.

"Keito....they got you a dress...I think." Keito was confused. Yuto held out the offending article. It was a loose cotton item with long sleeves that if put on would fall mid-thigh or perhaps even to Keito's knees. It was dyed black, and had silver stitching of stars all over it. It was the fanciest nightshirt Keito had ever seen.

"Yuto...it's not a dress. It's sleepwear." Yuto stared at the nightshirt for a second.

"Oh." He set it down, and looked up at Keito expectantly.

"Did you find something for me?" Keito nodded, handing the bundle of clothing to Yuto. His tall friend took the items expectantly and stood up.

"Yours are over there by the mirror. I'm gonna go change, okay?" Once Yuto had left Keito stripped off his tattered clothing and folded it gently, setting it on the edge of his bed before picking up his new items and slipping them on. Yuto had picked out a white shirt with a keyhole neckline and white long pants that hugged his thighs and fell more loosely around his calves and ankles. It was very simple, and Yuto had chosen to accessorize it with a black leather cord bracelet and a silver necklace with a blue stone crafted into the shape of a teardrop dangling from the chain. Keito looked himself over in the mirror, a small smile creeping onto his face as he fixed his hair with jumpy fingers. These clothes were just so comfortable...and so different. He felt like a new person. He'd never owned a piece of jewelry before. There was a warning knock on the door, and Yuto sashayed in, looking...undeniably handsome in his new clothes. He came and stood by Keito in the mirror, a huge grin on his face as he examined his own reflection.

"Keito...these clothes are crazy." Keito nodded the tiniest of nods.

"We look....amazing. I mean...wow...I mean...oh, you know." Keito did know. He caught Yuto's eyes trailing over his face.

"How are we ever going to thank them for this?"

"We could work for them for the rest of our lives." Keito wasn't joking. It seemed a realistic idea. They could learn how to do their parents jobs, and take over for them, supporting them and repaying the princes for everything they had done. Yuto nodded slowly as he thought about the idea.

"We should also learn how to cut our hair." Yuto exclaimed, tugging on the ends of his hair. His too had gotten ragged and long, the ends reaching a few centimeters past his collarbones.

That night Keito took some scrap ribbons from his mothers trash bin and tied the ends of their hair in little ponytails, even Raiya got one, the little boy liking his, twirling it around his fingers and playing with it. Keito fell onto his bed shortly afterwards, the events of the day leaving him weary. He was just beginning to contemplate changing into his new nightshirt when there was a soft knock on the door. He sat up, back against the wall and muttered an equally soft "Come in." expecting it to be his mother or Raiya.

Prince Daiki opened the door slowly, and Keito was so surprised to see the prince that he jolted up, lost his balance, and crashed to the stone floor. The prince's eyes got wide, and he rushed over, crouching down next to Keito.

"Oh my goodness! Are you okay?" The prince seemed a little frantic, and Keito nodded, propping himself up on his elbows, pushing his weight forward into an awkward bow. He was forced out of it when Prince Daiki took his face delicately in both hands, and twisted it around, checking it for injuries. Keito's face grew hot, and he pulled himself to his feet, embarrassed by the prince's concern.

"H-hi...d'you need anything...? Keito didn't understand. Why was Prince Daiki here?

"Not really...I just, I don't know. I'm leaving in three days, my family, we're all going to go meet with the Northern Kingdom family and we're gonna be gone for a long time and..." The prince was flustered, his cheeks pink, and he was looking up at Keito through brown bangs.

"...I wanted to get to know you before we go."

Keito blinked blankly at him a few times. _Huh?_

"Sorry...but...I don't understand." Why would the prince want to see him? Want to get to know him? Prince Daiki pursed his lips, eyes grazing casually over the walls as he pondered for a moment.

"Are you busy tomorrow? What are you going to do tomorrow?" Keito was still confused, but he answered as best he could.

"I'm going to help mom, probably. Or help Mrs.Nakajima in the kitchen, if mom doesn't need anything." Prince Daiki nodded, and then smiled a little smile, eyes sparkling.

"I'll help you. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Keito jerked backward in surprise. Prince Daiki didn't notice, his eyes sweeping over Keito's body, lingering just a little.

"Those clothes look good on you." The prince said appreciatively, before wishing Keito a good night and slipping back out the door.

Keito stood there in disbelief, not understanding. Had that really just happened? Why? Prince Daiki's words resonated in his skull. The prince was coming to help Keito do chores tomorrow. His intestines jerked, jumbling up into a tangled mess in his stomach. Oh no.


	3. Chapter 3

Needless to say, Keito didn't get much sleep that night. All of the 'what if...'s ran through his mind in a continuous stream, his rational side dismissing them with logic as each new worry presented itself. He didn't fall asleep until late into the night, and he woke before the sun, quickly bathing and changing into new clothes. Today he wore a white cotton tunic with silver stitching around the collar and black pants, light and comfortable for a day’s work. He tied his long hair up in its ribbon and padded down the hall, taking two right turns and ending up at the diner area where he had come to expect to eat his meals. Mrs. Nakajima and Yuto were sitting up, sipping some tea and eating bowls of rice with eggs. When Keito walked in they greeted him warmly, Mrs. Nakajima getting him his own breakfast like theirs. He sat next to Yuto, and his friend had barely glanced at his face before his eyes lit up, and he said

"What happened? What's the exciting news?" Not bothering to wonder if his face really was that readable, Keito told Yuto about his strange encounter with the prince the night before. By then end of his tale Yuto was holding in an excited squeal, his eyes big and excited.

"So, do you know when he's coming, or—?" He was interrupted by a knock on the wall, and their heads whipped around to see the prince himself standing just inside the doorway.

"Your Majesty! Good morning! Have you eaten? Let me get you something! What would you like?" Mrs. Nakajima was already making her way behind the bar, slipping an apron on as she walked.

"I'll have the same as those two, thanks!" Within moments Prince Daiki was sitting on the other side of Keito, rice and eggs steaming in front of him.

"Good morning." The prince's low voice sent a trickle of nervousness down Keito's throat.

"G-good, good morning."

"How are you this morning?"_ How was he this morning? Aside from the miniature heart attack he was currently going through?_

"Fine." Keito bit into his bottom lip.

"How...how are you, your majesty?" Prince Daiki's cheeks were stuffed with rice, and he looked like a hamster for a moment, before he finished his bite and said with a sunshiny smile

"I'm wonderful this morning. Oh! And, Okamoto-kun, call me Daiki, okay?" Keito felt his eyes widen. There was no way he would address the prince so casually. They finished their meal in silence, and when the prince was done he looked over at Keito expectantly.

"Ready when you are, Okamoto-kun. What do we do now?" Oh dear...

"Um..." He searched the prince's face. He seemed serious. Okay then...

"I'll go see if my mom needs any help." They both stood at the same time, and Keito fell in step behind Prince Daiki, Yuto giving him a good luck wave as he walked out. They were only a few steps down the hall when the prince stopped, glancing back at Keito with a wide smile that made Keito want to smile back, loosening the knot of nervousness in his stomach.

"I don't know where your mother is, Okamoto-kun." Keito mentally whacked himself.

"Um, here...this way..." He took the lead, and within seconds they were outside his mother's workroom. He peaked his head just inside the door, and she looked up from where she was looking over bolts of fabric, a smile on her face.

"Good morning, Keito."

"Good morning, do you want any help?" Her grin widened.

"Sure, come on in." When Prince Daiki filled in behind him, a grin on his face she suddenly grew uneasy.

"Good morning m'lady." She stood and bowed politely.

"Good morning, your majesty." She sent Keito a surprised look.

"Prince Daiki is helping me today." She was obviously about to protest.

"I asked Okamoto-kun to let me accompany him today. Please, put me to work. What are we doing?"

"The new fabrics for the royal family's formal clothes just came in. I've been working on designs for the outfits, and so if you two want to take a look you could pick which fabrics you think would work best for which outfits. How's that sound?"

"That sounds great! This'll be fun～" Prince Daiki declared, his eyes excitedly wandering over the bolts of fabric, and Keito was amazed by his enthusiasm, quietly retrieving the designs for the clothing as his mother got to work on the skirt of an elegant dress. He and the prince stood around the table, eyeing the cloth, taking in all of the different colors and textures.

"So, whose do you want to pick first?" Keito asked, flipping through his mothers designs. The prince watched as he did so, eventually putting his hand out, pointing a finger at an outfit.

"This one. Who is it for?" Keito caught the name in the top right corner of the page.

"Prince Hikaru." The heir to the throne, Prince Hikaru's attire was slightly more elaborate than his brothers, the embroidery just a hair more detailed.

"What color scheme do you think, Okamoto-kun?" Prince Daiki was stroking a fake beard, one eyebrow up in a silly manner. Keito took in the outfit, and examined the cloth on the table, scrutinizing it.

"What about this bright ice blue one, for the base color?" He suggested tentatively, pointing to one of the bolts. Prince Daiki's eyes lit up.

"Yes! Oh, and we could use the white silk for the accent pieces on the sleeves and for the pants! Oh, and what do you want to use for this dangly-rope-thingy?" He pointed to a decorative woven length of fabric draped across the chest of the costume.

"Gold?" He suggested, and Keito nodded, but then his eye caught on a patterned silk buried underneath a couple of other colors, and he dragged it out, immediately taking to it. It was white silk, with prints of autumn leaves in a bold red thicker in some places, and more sparse in others trailing down it.

"Your majesty? What if instead of the white we use this for the pants? And then the 'dangly-thingy' could be red to match? And these could be the blue," he gestured to the design on the slacks "to pull it all together?"

"Bi-complimentary colors, huh?" Prince Daiki laid the fabrics next to each other. "I like it." The prince said with a grin, fingers dancing over Keito's arm fleetingly, in a friendly manner. Keito's senses heightened, and he felt every brush of skin warm against his own.

They continued in this manner with the other princes outfits, setting aside fabrics once they had assigned them so as to not use them twice. The prince was very open to what Keito thought about something, whether Keito wanted to share his opinion or not, often asking questions, making him talk. They continued until lunch, finishing up the last touches on Prince Inoo's pants just as Mrs. Nakajima announced that the meal was ready. Prince Daiki's stomach growled in anticipation, and he grabbed Keito by the forearm, pulling him to the diner area with anticipation. Usually Keito would eat with Yuto, but today the prince got his full attention, talking enthusiastically between large bites of sandwich, his grin radiating sunshine as he watched Keito eat. At some point during the meal he suddenly said

"You're not calling me Daiki." Keito pursed his lips nervously, glancing down at his plate, and the prince furrowed his brows slightly.

"Why not? I asked you to, Okamoto-kun."

"I can't. It's not polite...besides...you're still calling me Okamoto-kun, so..." Keito's voice was low and nervous, waiting for Prince Daiki's response. After a moment the prince smiled mischievously.

"So then if I call you Keito will you call me Daiki?" Why is he so insistent?! Keito felt a nervous tension in his stomach, but he nodded, not really liking the solution. When the prince's grin grew into an expression of overpowering joy however, it made it a bit better.

"Yosh, Keito! What d'you usually do after lunch?" Prince—no. Just Daiki. Daiki asked, finishing his last bite of sandwich and dusting the crumbs from his fingertips. Keito took a sip of tea and looked around the room, as if the answer to that question were written on the walls.

"Um...mother doesn't need any more help, and Mrs. Nakajima isn't busy, so...usually I read, I guess." Keito knew that wouldn't be helpful, reading wasn't really something two people could do together, but it was the truth. He usually read, or hung out with Yuto.

"What do you read, Keito?" The prince asked, and Keito stood up.

"I don't remember what it's called...do you want to see? It's on my nightstand." He offered. The prince nodded and stood too, following Keito back to his bedroom.

_"Shakespeare."_ Keito said, reading the one word on the cover of the book as he picked it up, placing it in the prince's hands. Daiki held the large volume carefully, his little hands opening the large book and flitting through the gilded pages with interest.

"You can read this?" The prince asked, looking up at Keito with surprise. Keito nodded, pursing his lips together nervously.

"What language is it in?"

"English. I learned from a traveler that stayed with us for a while a couple of winters ago."

Daiki's eyes wandered the page, and he sat down on the floor, setting the book down on the stones, hunched over the pages curiously. Keito sat down facing him, his back against the bed frame.

"Is it a story?"

"It's a book of plays. There's four in there, I'm in the middle of the second one right now..." Daiki's head raised from the book, his hands gently picking it up off of the floor and placing it in Keito's lap.

"Could you read me some? Please?" Keito blinked, surprised, before picking the book up, and looking to see what he'd be reading.

"This is said by some girl named Juliet." He told Daiki, before starting at the top of the page.

_"'Tis but thy name that is my enemy;_

_Thou art thyself, though not a Montague._

_What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,_

_Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part_

_Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!_

_What's in a name? that which we call a rose_

_By any other name would smell as sweet;_

_So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,_

_Retain that dear perfection which he owes_

_Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,_

_And for that name which is no part of thee_

_Take all myself."_

When Keito finished Juliet's lines he stopped, looking up at Daiki nervously. The prince's mouth was open slightly, a crimson wash creeping over his face. Keito pursed his lips, not knowing how to react.

"Um....wow. That's amazing....I..." Daiki looked up into Keito's eyes.

"What is this story about?"

"Two people that meet at a party and fall in love, despite the fact that their parents hate each other. The next day they go and get married, and that's as far as I've gotten. I think it's a tragedy though." Daiki's eyes widened.

"Married after two days? They love each other that much?" His expression changed from one of surprise to contemplation in a matter of moments.

"I guess I might be able to see where they're coming from." The prince decided, nodding to himself. Keito just watched him, slightly confused. This last sentence caught him off guard.

"Did you fall in love fast, Pr—Daiki?" Daiki looked up from the pages of the book, eyes warm, as if just thinking about this person made him happy.

"Yes, I think so." Slightly uncomfortable with the look in the Prince's eyes, Keito let his gaze land on the book, his hand reaching out to close it. Daiki put his own hand out, stopping him.

"Can you read me more?" Keito found himself nodding, and he pushed the book foreword on the floor, switching his position so that he was on his stomach, elbows propping himself up. He flipped to the beginning of the story and had only read a few of the lines when the short prince, who had been sitting still, began to shift, until he was laying next to Keito on the floor, his head resting on his hands, eyes studying Keito's face. Keito pretended not to notice, determinedly keeping his eyes on the text in front of him, and in this manner the time passed, until there was a soft knock on the door, and Prince Yamada poked his head in, there to retrieve his brother. With a farewell and a hand on Keito's cheek the older boy left, and Keito felt his skin tingle where the prince's hand had touched it.

That night a maid interrupted his toothbrushing with a note. Keito nodded in thanks, and took his hand from the handle of his toothbrush to accept it, fingers flicking the folded paper open. It read:

_Thank you for letting me be with you today. If I don't get to see you again before I go, I just want you to know that you're amazing, and I'll miss you._

_ -Daiki_

A warmth spread from his chest through his limbs, and Keito felt his face break out in a grin. Then, he choked on his toothpaste.


	4. Chapter 4

The next day indeed Keito didn't see Daiki at all. He did however ask around and manage to get his hands on a pair of old scissors, which he sharpened and proceeded to use to give both Yuto and Raiya haircuts. Then Yuto gave him one, and Keito had to admit that it was going rather badly, until Prince Yamada showed up. The prince had stopped by to deliver some shirts of the royal family's that needed minor repairs, and had stumbled across their little make-believe barber shop. A look of surprise crossed the prince's face, but when Yuto sighed in frustration he had offered to help, taking the scissors from the tall boys skinny fingers and expertly clipping and snipping until Keito's hair was shorter, neater, and even a little bit flashy—a word he had never thought he would associate with his appearance until Prince Yamada had had something to say about it.

Then the prince left, handing over both the scissors and the shirts, and whisking back upstairs to continue his packing. The rest of the day Keito spent repairing the shirts, managing to get most of them done, and finishing the rest up the next day before lunch. Then he sorted them into stacks, one stack for each prince brother, and placed them in a basket, which he slung over his shoulder and took along the labyrinth of hallways, up stairs and through back corridors until he reached the vast third floor: the princes home in the castle. He wandered the hallways, wishing the doors were labeled, when he spotted a familiar back.

"Prince Inoo!" The figure stopped, and spun around, an indignant look flashing in it's eyes. The face looked like the beautiful face of the skinny prince's, but the expression was one Keito had never seen the young man wear.

"Are you talking to me?" The voice confirmed it. This person was not Prince Inoo. This person wasn't even a boy.

"S-sorry, m'lady."

"My brother went with Hikaru and Chinen somewhere." The young lady said, flapping her hand airily. This girl was their sister?! Keito was shocked. He had never in his life heard about a princess.

"Keito?!" Keito's heart jumped a little at the sound of a familiar voice, and he turned to see Prince Daiki walking toward them down the hall. When he reached them he gave the girl a curt nod, almost as if excusing her, before turning his full attention to Keito.

"I see you've met Ayaki. What brings you up here?" Keito showed him his basket of shirts, and Daiki took one of his own off of the top, unfolding it to get a good look at it.

"Wow. The repair job on this sleve is great! Tell your mother we really appreciate it." He said earnestly, carefully folding the shirt back up and leading Keito back down the hall, into a huge bedroom. The walls were a wine red, and there was a nice open window on the opposite wall. The bed was one of the biggest Keito had ever seen, and had pretty light blue and white sheets covering it, with a white canopy around it, the curtains pulled back comfortably. The desk, it's chair and the side table were all made of the same warm brown wood as the bed, and all of the furniture was carved with beautiful nature inspired carvings. There was an oriental rug covering most of the floor, and a door led off to what Keito assumed was a private bathroom. Was this Daiki's bedroom?

That question was quickly answered when Prince Yamada emerged from the other door in nothing but a towel, his hair wet from the bath he had obviously just taken. The Prince just looked mildly surprised to find his brother and Keito in his room, nodding politely at them and walking over to his chest of drawers, picking himself out clothes and wandering back into the bathroom to change.

"You can just put his shirts here on his bed, okay?" Daiki said, patting lightly on the foot of the bed, and Keito did so, before following Daiki back out of the room, and down the hall to another marvelous bedroom, this one with blue walls and white furniture. Daiki said it was Prince Inoo's. This continued until all of the shirts had been delivered. Then, Daiki took him by the hand and lead him back to Daiki's bedroom.

Daiki's room was green. Different shades of green covered the walls and bed, the curtains and couch, and even the rug on the floor were laced with green designs. Instead of being overwhelming, as it could have been it somehow came off in a pleasant, artistic way. Warm, like a familiar forest. Spread out on the floor were the remains of a reluctant looking packing attempt, clothes and other items sprawled around and in travel bags.

"Do you have anywhere you need to be, Keito?" Daiki asked, letting go of Keito's hand and taking a sword and it's sheath from a compartment in his desk, fitting it onto his person.

"Um...no..." Keito eyed the sword in confusion.

"D'you wanna learn fencing? I could teach you." The short prince was already turning back to the desk compartment, pulling out another sword.

"Here, you can use Nokogiri." Nokogiri—saw. What a name.

"Nokogiri was one of my first serious ones, I don't really use it anymore, but it should do." Daiki was saying, handing the sheathed weapon over to Keito. Slightly flabbergasted, he gingerly took it, holding it awkwardly. Daiki smiled at the hesitant way Keito was eyeing the weapon, taking it back and helping Keito belt the sheath access his chest. He proceeded to lead Keito down to the first floor and across the courtyard to a huge rectangular windowless room with white walls. The floor had been painted an indistinct dark brown.

"This is the practice room." Keito took it all in with wide eyes.

"So...do you want to get started?" Keito just nodded, trying to pretend he wasn't scared. They walked out to the center of the floor, and the training began. They trained for hours, Daiki starting by showing Keito basic ways to block attacks, or to attack the opponent, and by the end he had Keito reacting to whatever he did, doing simple sparing. It grew hot, sweat dripping down both of their faces. The prince eventually took off his shirt, revealing a lean muscled torso that made Keito's insides feel hot, and drew his focus. The whole time Keito was very cautious, not wanting to get the blade of the sword anywhere near Daiki, all too conscious of that these were deadly weapons, not toys. But it was enjoyable. He did fall down a couple of times, much to Daiki's surprised amusement, but aside from that he didn't have many blunders. Time went by unnoticed, and only when his stomach let out an insistent growl did he realize that it must be getting late.

"Um, Daiki, you probably need to go...don't you? It's getting late, and you have more important things to do than be here with me." Keito blinked nervously, and Daiki lowered his sword.

"Is it late?" He asked. Keito nodded. The prince sheathed his sword before running over to the door, peering outside. Within a moment he was back, a sigh on his lips.

"It is getting late. I've got to finish packing." Keito nodded, sheathing Nokogiri, and Turing his attention to the sheath buckles, intending to return it to it's owner.

"Thank you for teaching me." Keito said, stopping in fiddling with the straps to give Daiki a low bow. Daiki walked over, pulling Keito to a standing position, looking into his face. Keito felt his cheeks growing hot, and he tried to ignore the muscled shoulders and bare chest that were so close, annoyed with himself. Daiki brought his little hands up to the buckles, retightening them, and saying

"Keep it. It's yours now. Maybe when I come back we can practice more." Keito's eyes widened in surprise. Daiki was giving him a sword?!

"Thank you very much." He said, bowing once again. Again the prince pulled him to a standing position. His eyes searched Keito's face, a strange expression in them. One Keito hadn't ever seen before.

"Goodnight, Keito."

"Goodnight, Daiki." Keito watched as Daiki grabbed his discarded shirt and jogged out of the room, before following, stepping outside to see dawn fading into night. No wonder he was hungry. His chest was buzzing with excitement, but his body was in need of rest, so he made quick work of a bath and food, and was just about to crawl into bed when his mother stopped him in the hall, she in her own nightgown, concern on her face.

"Keito, where have you been? You were gone for hours, and you didn't come to dinner. We've been worried about you." Guilt washed through him. He hadn't meant to make his mom worry.

"Sorry. I was with Prince Daiki." That obviously wasn't the response she had been expecting.

"He was teaching me how to use a sword." Keito explained further. That surprised her even more.

"Oh...okay. The prince? He was teaching you...?"

"Yes, mom. I'm sorry. I won't stay out so late without telling you anymore. Okay?" She nodded, and with a yawn she retired to the room she shared with his father. Keito too went to his own room, and within minutes he was fast asleep.

He was woken the next morning by his father, telling him in that powerful way of his to "Get up." Keito sprung out of bed, and within ten minutes was on his way to the main entrance of the castle with the rest of the castle staff, completely confused as to why they were headed there. Luckily, Yuto knew.

"We're going to see them off. The royal family, I mean." His friend explained, falling into step with him, his hair flying around in the breeze, the newly risen sun warming their skin gently as they walked. Once they reached the front entrance they all just stood around waiting, until a parade of horses began to make it's way through the huge wooden doors. They carried guards and packs of what must have been food and clothing, tents and medicine. Then in the rear came the royal family. They wore light clothes for traveling, and the golden circlets they wore on their heads gleaming in the sunlight, and once again the air of royalty around them impressed Keito. Prince Daiki caught Keito's eye, sending him a small smile, and he smiled back for a moment before dropping his eyes to his feet. Something about seeing Daiki like this made him even more nervous than usual. The king stopped his horse, and after thanking them all for seeing them off he turned his attention to Yuto's family.

“Mrs. Nakajima, Mr. Nakajima, and young Nakajima-kun, I entrust the castle’s well-being to you until we return.” Keito smiled and glowed with pride that Yuto's family got such a big responsibility, sending a look Yuto's way. His friend was wide eyed.

“Yes your majesty!”

“Thank you—I know it is in good hands." Then the king turned to his father.

"And Okamoto-san, you can assist them as well.” It was Keito's turn to be shocked. His dad just bowed politely, but Keito was flustered.

“Farewell for now.” The king announced, and the royal family waved, saying their goodbyes. Keito was still shocked, processing the information, and didn't snap out of it until he heard Yuto whisper "They're leaving, remember?!" in his ear. He looked up to see that the royal family were already riding away.

"B-bye!" He yelled, waving at their backs. They all turned to look at him, and then Prince Daiki broke out in a wide grin, and waved back. Soon the parade was over the hill and out of sight. Once the last figure had disappeared from view the mass of people left to return to their daily lives. Keito went to join them, but was stopped by a grip on his arm. He looked up to see his father staring back at him, a slight frown on his face. They stood there like that until the others had all dispersed, leaving the two of them alone. Once they were alone, a feeling of nervousness washed over Keito.

"You're an embarrassment." His dad said in a controlled tone, letting go of Keito, only to curl his fingers into a tight fist, ramming it sharply into Keito's stomach, knocking him down. He lay there gasping for air and blinking back tears, as his father left. This wasn't the first time, his dad had hit him before. When he felt that Keito had done something disgraceful or out of line. Keito understood the reasoning, but he wished there could be another way of reprimanding him. One that didn't involve bruising. Once his breathing was under control he picked himself off of the ground, brushing himself off and checking his appearance for any signs of the affair. Once he was satisfied he let himself back inside, returning back to his section of the castle.


	5. Chapter 5

It wasn't long before he was met with an excited Yuto, who grabbed Keito by the arm and dragged him to his own bedroom, pointing to Nokogiri and saying

"Where did you get that?!" Keito shut the door, picking up the sword gently and crossing the room to sit on his bed.

"Daiki gave it to me."

_"Prince Daiki gave you a sword?!"_

"Well, yeah. He said he didn't use it anymore, and after the training he said that...I could keep it." Keito explained meekly. Now Yuto was confused.

"Wait...training?! Hold on, what happened after you left to deliver those shirts yesterday?" Keito backed up, telling his friend all about his trip into the world of royalty. Yuto stopped him when he got to the part about Prince Yamada getting out of the shower.

"You got to see Prince Yamada naked?!" His tall friend exclaimed. Keito was taken aback.

"No! Only half-naked! He had a towel around his waist." Keito motioned, explaining.

"Ugh, I'm so jealous." Yuto groaned, flopping back onto the bed.

"He's soooo attractive Keito. He's...amazing. And sexy. And perfect." Keito smiled at his friend's antics.

"I'll admit that he's handsome." He agreed, and Yuto scoffed.

"Handsome? He's more than handsome, he's like...beautiful, and sexy and oh, now I'm just repeating myself."

Keito continued his story, Yuto nodding along, listening attentively. Once he had finished, Yuto unsheathed the sword, eyes taking in the glint of the blade in the light spilling into the room through the window.

"The sword's name is saw...you'd think they'd be able to come up with something better. It's beautiful." Keito took a good look at it. It truly was a work of art, the detailing in the hilt exquisite.

"Maybe one day it'll get a new name. Sometimes swords names get changed." Keito offered, as they returned the sword to it's proper place. The rest of next day, and the next week, was spent doing odd jobs for whoever needed something done. When they weren't folding laundry, cleaning the stables, or doing the dishes, they practiced the sparring techniques Daiki had taught Keito, convincing some of the older guys to help them, giving them tips. As the days wore on, Keito found himself getting better. His movements got faster, and he even took time to train at night after everyone else went to sleep, fighting his invisible enemy in the moonlight, the blade flashing as he practiced, almost dancelike. Sometimes Yuto would join him in the nighttime sessions, but his friend would be exhausted and nearly useless the next day.

Ten days after the prince's left, Keito was helping Mr. and Mrs.Nakajima in the kitchen, preparing vegetables for a stew they were making for dinner, when a man wearing the emblem of a messenger peaked his head in.

"Excuse me, is Okamoto Keito here?" The man asked, looking rather lost. Keito turned to look at him in surprise.

"Yes sir, I'm him." He announced, setting down the knife he had been using and wiping his hands off with a rag. The man smiled, looking relived to have found his quarry.

"These are for you." The man said, reaching into a pouch on his hip and pulling out a roll of papers, tied with a piece of leather.

"For me?" Keito asked, surprised. The man nodded.

"You are Okamoto Keito, son of the royal castle's seamstress, correct?"

"Yes."

"Then yes, these are certainly for you." The man held them out, and once Keito had taken the pages he gave him a short bow and left.

"Keito, you can go and read them if you want, we can finish up in here." The Nakajima's told him, and he bowed in thanks, hanging up his apron before returning to his room, fingers swiftly pulling the leather cord off of the scroll, the papers springing loose. There were 9 pages, making up a total of six letters. And they were all from Prince Daiki. Excitement rose in his chest as he peeled the pages open, fighting the curled edges to see the words written there.

_Dear Keito,_

_ Did you sleep well? I'm going to write you these letters, and tell you all about our trip, so that I can pretend you are here with me, okay? We just left this morning. I'm glad I got to see you before we started the trip, I was worried that I wouldn't have been able too. We spent all day riding. Ayaki, my new sister, keeps complaining. She's afraid of horses, and she thinks it's too hot and too long. We should have left her behind. I don't want to be near her. The others, especially Chinen, are handling her much better than I am. Sometimes I wish I could have that much patience. You seem to have a lot of patience like that. How do you do it?_

_We've stopped for the night now. My brothers and I all are sharing one huge tent, but the sky is pretty and it's not too cold, so we're probably going to sleep outside. Have you seen the sky recently? The stars are amazing. Of course, Ayaki doesn't like it, but she gets a tent all to herself, so I don't understand why she would complain. Inoo says that maybe it's just what girls do, complain. I've never really met many other girls, and I've never lived with any, so I don't really know. He could be onto something. Oh, Hikaru says to tell you he says hi, by the way. And so does Yama-chan. And Yama-chan says to tell Nakajima-kun hi too. Actually, they pretty much all say hi._

_I've been thinking, if you enjoyed the fencing I could teach you more, when I get back. We could practice together. Just a thought. The fire is getting low, I can barely see what I'm writing, so I'm sorry if my handwriting is sloppy. It's almost time to go to sleep now. I'll write you again tomorrow. Goodnight!_

_ Daiki_

Keito felt an inescapable grin take over his face, plastered there so long that his cheeks started to hurt. He flicked through the letters one by one, learning a lot about Daiki and his brothers and sister from the snippets of stories on the pages, and through them he began to feel like he knew the boys more. He also could feel Daiki's dislike for his sister, which surprised him. She seemed to be even more of an outsider in Daiki's world than him or Yuto. Or at least a less welcome one. Also enclosed in Daiki's letters were questions. Things like Keito's favorite color, what he was doing while Daiki was gone, and what his family was like were asked in the lines of the letters. The last letter, from Day 6 was signed with an I miss you. that sent excited shivers down Keito's spine.

"He sent you letters?" Yuto had his usual surprised look.

"Six so far. He said he's writing one every day until they get back." Keito said, handing them to Yuto to see. His friend shuffled through the pages, eyes scanning them and as he read his expression became serious.

"He likes you." Yuto announced, looking up from the pages. Keito snapped back in surprise.

"What?!"

"He likes you. It's obvious."

"What do you mean he 'likes' me?! Keito muttered. Yuto grinned.

"I mean he has he hots for you. He thinks you're handsome. He's falling for you. He—" Yuto burst out giggling at Keito's expression.

"You're so red!" His skinny friend exclaimed, putting his hands on with either side of Keito's face, examining it closely.

"Do you like him too, Keito?" Did he like him? Did he have feelings for Prince Daiki? If he was honest with himself....yes. He was very attracted to the prince. But—

"But he's royalty. He's one of the royal princes! I'm just a poor kid whose house got burned down. I'm not worth—"

"Obviously you are. He thinks you're worth winning over. Just you watch, I bet you he doesn't care one bit about your class difference. Besides, that wasn't the question. The question was if you liked Prince Daiki. Keito, answer me. Do you like Prince Daiki?" Yuto had one of those 'I know you're in denial' smiles on his face.

"Yes." Keito sighed, burying his face in a hand. Finally admitting it out loud made him giddy, and nervous. When he looked up, Yuto was grinning ear to ear, and at the sight of it Keito sighed a small sigh.

"What do I do, Yuto-riin?" Yuto took pity on him, slinging an arm around him and pulling him close, snuggling into Keito's side, the letters still clutched in his other hand, which he rested comfortably on his stomach.

"Keito, it's not that hard to figure out. You just love him back, and see what he does. If he wants to be with you then he'll probably ask you out. If not, then at least you have a good new friend, right?"

"Yes." Keito had told himself this, but it was good to know that Yuto supported his crush. They sat in silence for a while, feeling each other breathing, listening as their heartbeats aligned. Keito didn't know what he'd do without Yuto. He was the best friend in the world.

"Did you see Prince Yamada's messages to you?" Keito asked after a while. Prince Yamada had left a little message for Yuto in almost every letter. Yuto nodded, a smile spreading across his face.

"We've never talked just the two of us. He hasn't come and asked to follow me around all day or stolen me for hours instead of doing his packing." Keito frowned slightly at how pessimistic his usually optimistic friend was being.

"So? That just means he's not so straightforward, or impulsive. That doesn't mean he's not interested. Besides, he's thinking about you, obviously. And you have plenty of time to make him fall for you, if he isn't falling for you already." Yuto looked over at Keito, and Keito smiled at him, able to tell his reassurances were doing good for his friend. Yuto set the letters down on Keito's bedside table, and before he had time to react Keito pinned him down, straddling him and attacking his friends skinny sides with dancing fingers. Yuto yelped in surprise, the noise quickly followed by raucous laughter that filled the room. Keito laughed with him, the sound contagious. Yuto futilely attempted to retaliate, but Keito's attacks were unavoidable, and he kept them coming until Yuto was red in the face from all of the laughing. He stopped, both of them breathing hard, smiling widely.

The next few days were spent mostly exploring the castle, finding sparsely used hallways and back routes to destinations. They even found gardens and the royal family's private stable. The stable became their favorite spot to disappear to for a few hours. They'd bring a picnic lunch and sit out on the rooftop, wondering what the princes were doing, and how the reconstruction was going down in their hometown. They'd discuss the fires, making up wild tales about why their homes were burned down, far-fetched stories about secret organizations and treachery, and they'd laugh. Keito still practiced with Nokogiri after everyone else went to bed, building up stacks of hay from the stables and climbing them as he practiced, this often resulting in him tripping and falling. But he could feel his stamina increasing, and he'd often wake up sore in the morning. In this manner, another week went by.


	6. Chapter 6

It was late into the night, and Keito was putting his haystacks away, ready to go to bed, when the sound of hooves caught his attention. He scoured the night, searching for the horse, and he eventually found it, riding through the main courtyard of the castle, a figure on its back. He ran to meet the man, reaching him just as he was dismounting. Up close, Keito realized that he had seen this man once before. It was the messenger from last time. Now he looked weary, his movements slow from exhaustion.

"Good evening." Keito said, and the man jumped, turning around with wide, surprised eyes.

"I didn't think anyone would be awake at this hour! Good evening." The man nodded and smiled politely, already removing his horse's tack, a yawn escaping his lips. His stomach growled, and Keito took pity on him.

"Do you have a place to sleep?"

"Wha—? Oh, yes, I have a room over there." He brandished in the general direction of the servants rooms.

"Are you hungry? Please eat before you go to bed, at least." The man sized Keito up for a minute, before he nodded.

"Okay. Thank you." Together they put his horse away and returned to Mrs. Nakajima's kitchen. Keito felt weary, but he shook sleep away, preparing a small pot of Miso Soup and placing a bowl of the steaming liquid in front of the messenger. He grinned, and thanked Keito before digging in, eating with obvious relish. Within minutes the bowl was empty, and Keito took it back into the kitchen to clean, willing himself to not fall asleep there amidst the pots and pans. The man bid him goodnight, and was just about to leave when he turned back around, recognition in his eyes.

"You're Okamoto, right?" Keito looked up from where he was scrubbing the bowl.

"Yes sir."

"These are for you. Prince Daiki told me you were kind. He's not mistaken, Okamoto. I'm lucky to have met you."

"T-thank you, sir." Keito let the words stumble out of his mouth, surprised. The man nodded with a small smile, and left a scroll on the counter, tied with a leather cord just like the first one was. The sight of the letters sent a spark of excitement through him that would have made him jumpy had he not been so tired. Thoroughly exhausted once he had cleaned up, he tucked the letters safely into his dresser, falling asleep before he could even undress properly, Nokogiri at his side.

He woke the next morning with the events of his nighttime encounter a dreamlike blur, and he debated their substance until he pulled out his drawers to get dressed and found the bundle of pages waiting for him. With care he peeled the pages apart, examining them. Seven letters, one more than last time. Keito flipped to the beginning, and began to read. Almost immediately Keito noticed a shift. In these letters there was less wandering of Daiki's mind and more stories about that day's events. The prince told of s'mores by a fire, horseback competitions and fencing, swimming and dancing.

There were new characters in his letters, more royalty; the princes of the Northern Kingdom, and the northerners head advisor's son had met them there. From the letters Keito learned a lot about the northern boys. There were three prince's and one advisor's son, and they ranged from around Prince Inoo's age all the way down to a few years younger than Prince Chinen. They sounded like nice people, Daiki only wrote good things about them, and his versions of the events were very funny, he'd often talk about how well they all got along, and from his stories it sounded like the whole trip was a big flirting party for everyone involved. Now every letter contained at least one_ I miss you._, and Keito too felt a want to see the prince tugging at his chest.

When Keito flipped to the last letter the first thing his eyes caught on were the words_ We're coming home! _written in flourished writing, and a pang of excitement rang through him. He read the letter in a rush, it was shorter than the others, only containing Daiki's excitement about the return, a quick story about his brothers discussing boys, and the prince's own calculations about when he and his family would be arriving back at the castle. Keito read the prediction, putting it in perspective. If Daiki was right, they would be home in...two days. Only two days! Keito quickly got dressed, running around the castle halls until he found Yuto, barreling into his friend by accident and landing on the ground with him in a pile of limbs.

"Yuto-riin! Sorry! I'm so sorry!" Keito found himself exclaiming as he rolled off of the skinny boy. Yuto just blinked, stunned for a moment.

"It's okay Keito...what happened? Why're you running?" Yuto asked, propping himself up on his hands. Keito grinned.

"They're on their way back home. The royal family should be back in about two days!" He showed Yuto the letter, and his friends excitement level rose to match his own.

"We need to tell the rest of the staff! Everything needs to be ready For them when they arrive." Keito shared his thoughts, and with a nod Yuto ran off to tell his parents the news, who in turn told anyone that ate breakfast. By noon the whole castle was in a bustle and everyone was beginning preparations for the royal family's arrival. Yuto and Keito were assigned the task of putting new sheets on the beds, and given stacks of new clean fabric and a large basket to put the used sheets into, before being sent off to the third floor. They wandered throughout; Yuto, in the prince's absence, explored their rooms to his heart’s content, rolling on the beds and peaking into closets. Keito smiled a his friend's amazement. They had never seen such extravagant living quarters. One by one they finished the princes rooms, wandering down the hall and around a corner to find the princess' bedroom. Gently they pushed open the door, stepping just inside the threshold. As if on que there was a sudden wave of water, and before either of them had time to react both boys were drenched from above. Sputtering and blinking water out of his eyes Keito looked up to see a contraption rigged up over the doorway, ropes and a now overturned bucket hanging over their heads.

"What the heck?!" Yuto exclaimed, wiping his face with his hands, his dark hair plastered to his scalp.

"It was a trap, see?" Keito pointed to the bucket.

"What would something like that be doing here?"

"I don't know." Keito sighed. The sheets, the floor, the carpet, everything was soaking wet. He pushed some hair out of his face.

"I guess we should start cleaning up..."

Due to the water contraption Yuto and Keito were busy for the rest of the day returning the princess' room back to its original condition, they themselves having to change and dry off before hand, thus eliminating the chance of floundering in a ridiculous circle during the cleanup process. Once they had finished they took warm baths and went to bed, waking up the next morning to a day full of cleaning. They scrubbed the floors and washed curtains, they polished windows and mirrors and ornamental shiny things. They swept the main courtyard and weeded the garden, and dirty and exhausted they joined the rest of the castle staff at the dinner tables, eating hungrily.

"I bet they'll be here tomorrow." Yuto said, looking up from his bread. Keito smiled. He felt it to. Felt them getting closer.

"Yeah."

Keito woke the next morning at the crack of dawn, with Yuto's face centimeters from his own.

"I volunteered us for lookout duty today." Yuto announced, sitting on Keito's bed, his weight making the springs squeak slightly. Keito pulled himself up and out of his covers, going to his window and looking a the sunrise for a few moments before getting dressed and slipping the straps for Nokogiri's sheath across his chest, buckling it on securely.

"Let's go!"

Yuto's mother gave them bento boxes with enough food to last them all day, and two pairs of binoculars, and sent them up to the western tower. The large windows looked out in the direction they were expected to be coming from, and Yuto and Keito plopped down, opening their breakfasts and eating in comfortable silence. Keito took a piece of his meat, putting it in front of Yuto's lips.

"Here, for you, Yuto-riin~" He giggled, and Yuto took the meat from his chopsticks, chewing happily.

"Keito, you need to eat some too!"

"Okay, okay." He put a bite in his own mouth, and Yuto nodded approvingly, lifting his binoculars to his eyes. Hours ticked away. They had finished their breakfasts a long time ago, and Keito had just started on his lunch when Yuto put his binoculars to his eyes once more, and yelped in surprise.

"They're here!"

Keito picked up his own binoculars, scanning the hillside, excitement rising in his stomach. Then, he spotted them. A parade was coming over the hill, the Southern Kingdom's banners floating on a breeze, and in the lead was Prince Daiki, his brothers close behind in a cluster. They were obviously having a good time, talking and laughing. At the sight of the prince a wave of anticipation crashed over him, and Keito had a hard time tearing his eyes away from him, only pulling back from the binoculars when Yuto reminded him that they had to tell the rest of the castle. The ran through the halls, yelling the news, making their way through the labyrinth of halls until they finished at the main entrance. Out of breath they sat down just outside the door, leaning against the wall. Five more minutes passed, and their breathing calmed, but the anticipation built, and Keito felt his heart pounding in his ears. Any second now...any second...

"D'you hear that?!" Yuto exclaimed. Keito listened. He thought he could, faint sounds of laughter. Yuto was grinning from ear to ear. He stood up, waving back and forth, if you could call it waving. He used his whole body, flinging it around with momentum. Keito too stood, and when he did he could see them, and he couldn't help but smile. Prince Hikaru was the first one to spot them, and he laughed, pointing them out to his brothers, and waving back. Servants split away from the group, leading horses covered in packs off to be unpacked, and the princes approached them alone on foot, their golden bands glinting in the sunlight. Prince Hikaru was the first one to meet them, grinning a big toothy grin and holding out his hand for a friendly handshake. Yuto took it, shaking it with a smile.

"Welcome back, your majesty. How was your trip?" Yuto asked. Prince Hikaru was just about to respond when Prince Chinen pounced on Yuto, tackling him in a hug. Prince Inoo and Prince Yamada made their way up just as Prince Chinen untangled himself from Yuto enough to give Keito the same treatment, wrapping his arms around Keito's broad shoulders. Keito hugged him back, tucking the shorter boy's head under his chin.

"Nakajima-kun, Okamoto-kun, this is a pleasant surprise." Prince Yamada was smiling, and when he made eye contact with Yuto the taller boy blushed and grinned, bowing his head. Prince Chinen released Keito, and asked how things had been while they were gone. Keito was about to respond when a short brown haired figure caught his eye. Prince Daiki was finally approaching him. Keito felt a swell of happiness at the prince's arrival, and he couldn't keep the smile off his face.

"Daiki." He bridged the gap between them, stopping right in front of the prince, taking him in. He was more handsome than Keito remembered. He looked nervous, lips pressed together, eyes not looking at Keito's face. Instead they caught on Nokogiri. Keito felt a rush of fear. Something was wrong―that was pushed aside when Daiki pulled him into a tight hug, letting a breath he had been holding, nuzzling his face into Keito's neck. Keito returned the embrace, closing his eyes and taking in the feel of Daiki, the smell of Daiki. He could feel the prince's lips move as he whispered

"I missed you so much." Keito felt himself turning red, but his heart soared.

"I missed you too." He whispered back, and he could feel Daiki smile against the crook of his neck. There was a whoop, and Daiki pulled away to send a disapproving glance at Prince Chinen. It only took a second to realize that all of them were giggling to themselves, letting out muttered "Awww"'s or other similar sighs.

"Hey, if you're free tonight, after we get settled, want to practice fencing again?" Daiki asked, a hand still resting on Keito's lower back. Keito nodded, liking the prospect of begin able to be with the prince so soon. They all returned back into the castle in a sweeping mass of people, everyone else sharing stories from their time spent away from each other. Even Yuto, who told the princes about the water contraption. When they all heard that story, Prince Inoo whacked Prince Hikaru on the head, telling him to apologize. He did, explaining that he had been the one to set up the trap, intending for it to be for Princess Ayaki. At the foot of the stairs the princes broke off from Yuto and Keito, climbing to the third story while they returned to their own rooms.

It was late in the evening when Daiki came to Keito's room, the prince looking calm in the fading sunlight. Keito had been waiting for him, sitting on the edge of his bed, staring out the window, watching as a faint outline of the moon became more and more visible. It would be a full moon tonight. When the prince rapped his knuckles lightly on the doorframe Keito smiled, standing to join him.

"It's been a while." Daiki remarked, leading Keito out into the courtyard. Keito nodded. It had been a while.

"I practiced a little while you were away..." He told Daiki, and the shorter boy looked up at him, a glint of surprise in his eyes.

"Oh? How'd it go?" Keito contemplated the nights he had spent out in the dark, trying to remember what Daiki had said, or during free time, with Yuto.

"I don't know. It kept me busy, at least. You'll have to judge if it helped." Keito said after his contemplation. Daiki smiled, and nodded, and as he did so they reached the courtyard. As they unsheathed their swords Keito felt himself growing scared. It had been a long time since he'd had that one training session with Daiki. What if—?

"You ready?" Keito nodded, body on autopilot.

"Let's see how much you've been practicing." Daiki announced, lunging at him. Keito sidestepped, and the match began. It was pure reaction on Keito's part, his body already retaining a muscle memory from all of his practices, no specific thought accompanying the movements. But his eyes caught on the prince's face, and he realized that Daiki was taken aback. Concerned, he took a couple or steps back, lowering Nokogiri and taking a deep breath.

"Daiki, is everything okay?" The short prince's eyes were still wide with surprise.

"You said you'd practiced a little. How much is a little?" Daiki sounded almost exasperated.

"Um...every night. And in some of my free time during the day..." Keito muttered, looking at the hilt in his hand. Daiki made a "Tch" noise.

"I'm sorry...I'll try harder..." Keito was embarrassed. He obviously wasn't doing well. Daiki stepped closer, putting a hand on Keito's cheek, forcing him to look into his eyes. Keito's heart jumped, and he felt a nervous tingle spread through him. What was Daiki—

"Your skills are amazing. Don't tell yourself otherwise. And quit apologizing for something you didn't do."

"Sorry." Keito muttered, and Daiki sighed, a small smile on his lips. He dropped his hand, putting his own blade back in its sheath.

"Keito, you're adorable." The prince had a glint in his eye that made Keito uncomfortable. He busied himself with Nokogiri, carefully returning the sword to its sheathe. He was just sliding the last of the blade in when in a low, gentle voice Daiki asked

"Will you go on a date with me tomorrow?" Keito froze, mind going numb. He glanced over at the prince, disbelieving. Already there was a swell of joy, of excitement in his chest, threatening to overwhelm him. But his logical side still rejected what he'd heard. It didn't make sense. But Daiki continued.

"I really like you. We can have a brunch in the royal garden, by the pond. You'll enjoy it. Please..." Daiki was looking back at him with a serious expression. He truly wanted this. Keito let his happiness take over, and he broke into a grin, grabbing Daiki in a hug. Daiki hugged back, asking slowly

"So...is this a yes?"

"Yes." Keito felt the word fall from his lips feather light, just like his heart. They stayed like that, holding each other, reveling in their beating hearts and the smell of their hair, and eventually Keito murmured

"I like you too, Daiki."

They pulled away, awkwardly saying their goodnights, ridiculous grins on their faces, and going their separate ways, Keito jittery with excitement.


	7. Chapter 7

Morning came in time, and Keito rose with the sun, bright eyed. He dressed in light, comfortable clothes, nervously taking the time to fix his hair in the mirror. He glanced out his window at the sun. It was still barely past dawn. It would be hours before Daiki was ready. He read a few acts in his book of Shakespeare plays, but was unable to truly lose himself in the words, his mind wandering to speculation about the day's events. Daiki had said they were going to have a picnic. In the royal garden no less. The royal garden took up a large chunk of the land in the huge main courtyard. It surrounded the entrance to the ballrooms and extended outward. The space was full of trees and well kept flowers, benches for resting and enjoying the greenery were scattered throughout, and in the middle there was a small pond, roughly thirty feet in diameter. Keito had only been there once, the first time he had discovered it's existence. He had never returned, as it was a special place and he felt that he should leave it reserved for the royal family.

He gave up on reading, setting his book aside and leaving his bedroom, instead wandering down to the kitchen, hoping he could help Mrs. Nakajima cook, but he was shooed out the door as soon as he stepped inside. She stood there, a warm grin on her face, shaking her head.

"Keito, of course you can't help, you can't see what I'm making! Prince Daiki sent down a message this morning for a full picnic brunch for two. I'm not dumb, I see you two together. I'm not going to let you cook for your own date. Besides, I have some help already." As if on cue, both of her sons peeked out from behind her, Yuto simply looking over his mother's head, Raiya peaking around her torso. Both had flour smeared on their faces.

"The batter's ready, mama." Raiya announced, licking one of his fingers. Yuto giggled, ruffling his brothers hair. Keito caught his friend's eye, and Yuto winked, sending Keito a double-thumbs-up over his mother's head. She turned, her focus already back on food, and wandered back into the kitchen.

"Keito-nii, are you excited about your date?" Raiya asked, licking another finger. Keito nodded, and Raiya smiled.

"We've been baking extra love in, haven't we, Nii-chan?" Yuto smiled, wrapping his arms around Raiya's shoulders in a quick hug.

"You're so cute!" He cooed, and Raiya smiled.

"Raiya, come help mama!" Yuto's mother called, and Raiya wriggled out from under his brothers arms, running into the depths of the room. Yuto instead pulled Keito into a hug, kissing him on the cheek suddenly.

"My Keito is growing up!"

"I'm nervous..." Keito admitted, and the words only amplified the twisting fluttering feeling in his stomach.

"Oh, it'll be fine." Both Yuto and Keito whipped around, surprised by the new voice. Prince Chinen and Prince Yamada walked over, stopping once they had reached Yuto and Keito.

"Dai-chan is super excited about your date. He likes you a lot, so don't worry." Prince Yamada clapped Keito on the shoulder, a smile in his eyes. Prince Chinen nodded

"He burst into my room last night, and tackled me, he was so excited, and then he explained just how perfect you were again." Yuto was amused by the little prince's expression.

"Again?" Prince Chinen nodded.

"Dai-chan has been telling us all how amazing Keito-kun was since..." He looked over at Prince Yamada.

"Since he first saw him." The other prince supplied, and Keito burrowed his face in his hands, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Yuto giggled, poking Keito in the ear.

"Awww, Keito, you two are just so cute!"

"Yuto-riin..." Keito's playfulness crept into his voice, and his friend jumped out of the way when Keito tried to trap him in a hug, the lanky boy instead rammed into Prince Yamada, the two of them landing on the floor in a tangle of limbs. There was a shocked moment of silence, everyone's eyes wide, staring. Yuto had his back on top of the short prince's chest, Prince Yamada's arms wrapped around Yuto's torso, their legs a mess on the floor. Then, as if on cue Raiya came out of the kitchen, bowls of miso soup in each hand, and he tripped over the limbs in the doorway. Oh crap! Keito threw himself out, intending to catch Raiya, but he was beaten to it by Prince Chinen, who grabbed the younger boy by the shoulders, steadying him. Keito exhaled a breath of relief. There was a knock coming from the doorway, and Daiki peaked his head in, eyes widening as he saw the fiasco. They all froze for a moment, staring at each other, before Daiki asked

"Um...what happened?" There was one more moment of silence, and then Yuto burst into giggles. Raiya stepped over the two boys still on the floor, and Prince Chinen let him go, continuing on with the two bowls of soup. Yuto removed himself from Prince Yamada, immediately helping the shorter boy up before bowing and apologizing profusely for falling on him. The prince just shrugged, and told Yuto to stand up straight, reaching up and wiping some of the flour off of the tall boys face with a careful finger once Yuto had returned to his full stature. Meanwhile, Prince Daiki had joined the little ring around the kitchen doorway, slipping in next to Keito. Yuto peeked his head back into the kitchen, announcing to his mother

"Prince Daiki is here!" At his exclamation there was a sound of metal against metal, and Mrs. Nakajima's voice floated out through the doorway

"Don't let him go anywhere! I just need to let these last things cool for a minute, and the basket will be all set! Yuto, get me that table cloth, the thick one, they can use that as their picnic blanket. Oh, and Raiya, offer the other two breakfast!" At their mothers words both boys did as they were told, Yuto disappearing into what Keito knew to be one of the many linens closets, while Raiya offered Prince Yamada and Prince Chinen some miso soup. The prince's declined, saying something about helping Prince Hikaru wake 'the sleeping lump; Inoo', and excusing themselves, leaving Keito alone with Daiki. They stood there, looking at each other, an unexpectedly awkward silence growing between the two of them. Keito took in the prince. He looked handsome, in comfortable light clothes. The silence was broken by Mrs. Nakajima, who came out of the kitchen with a large picnic basket in her hands. Keito jumped to take it, but once again he was beaten to it, Daiki stepping up and hooking the handle over his arm.

"I found it!" Yuto announced, and he appeared with a large thick cloth in his arms. Keito took it, slipping it under one arm.

"Thank you." Daiki said, smiling at the Nakajimas. They nodded.

"Have fun!" Yuto said, a giggle escaping his lips as he patted Keito on the shoulder. Keito nodded, and glanced at Daiki. The prince just smiled.

"Shall we go?" Daiki asked, and together they headed for the door. They had barely gotten to the end of the hallway when they crossed paths with Keito's dad. Keito immediately grew nervous, clutching the blanket tighter. He hadn't told his father about his date. To his surprise his dad didn't say anything, simply giving the prince a polite bow, his eyes flashing with purpose before he continued on. They watched him go, both perplexed.

"That was strange..." Keito muttered, and Daiki nodded.

"He looks like he's headed for the royal quarters..." Daiki commented, as Kenichi's back disappeared from view. Keito just blinked in agreement, and they continued on, quickly putting Keito's father out of their minds. Once they reached the royal garden Prince Daiki took Keito's hand, leading him through the trees and bushes, along narrow dirt paths until they reached the small pond.

"Let's set up over here." Daiki gestured to a big shady tree right on the edge of the pond. Keito nodded, and together they spread out their blanket, setting the picnic basket down in the center. They sat down, and at the thought of food Keito's stomach let out an insistent, embarrassing growl. Daiki giggled.

"Are you hungry, Keito?" Keito felt the blush creeping up his cheeks, and he nodded. Daiki flicked the lid of the basket open, and they both peaked in at the amazing array of food. Scones and cakes, little sandwiches and containers filled with fresh fruit were arranged along the inside. It was amazing. All of this for them.

"Looks delicious!" The prince announced, plucking a scone from the basket and holding it out to Keito. Keito reached for it, but as he did Daiki pulled it backwards. Keito stopped, putting his hands in his lap.

"Open up." Daiki ordered, grinning. Keito blinked at him for a moment. Was he serious?

"Please, Keito?" Keito pursed his lips, thinking. He and Yuto feed each other all the time, but they had been best friends for years....but this was Daiki, and he really liked him...so... Just as he had decided to comply, the older boy placed the scone in his hand.

"Sorry...too fast, huh?" Daiki was embarrassed, his cheeks red, and he quickly popped a grape into his own mouth, pulling out a little vine of them, all clustered together. Keito too felt bad, worried. He hadn't meant to make the prince feel so uncomfortable. He bit into the scone, and immediately was filled with the joy that good food gives. This was amazing. It was gone in a heartbeat, and he looked over, surprised that the usually chatty prince was being so quiet. Daiki was just plucking his grapes off, popping them into his mouth one by one rather awkwardly. Keito watched him for a moment before leaning in, grabbing one of the grapes in his teeth and pulling it off the vine. He looked up to see Daiki's face now only a few inches away, and he forced down his embarrassment, instead pulling a grape off of the vine and holding it to Daiki's lips.

"Open up, please." He whispered, and Daiki grinned, using his lips to take the grape from Keito's fingers. Keito leaned back, and quietly motioned to the basket.

"You should try the scones, they're amazing." At his suggestion Daiki did, Keito taking another grape from the vine. After a few bites Daiki set it down, and asked

"Do you want to play a game?" Keito nodded, and Daiki nodded back.

"Okay...you'll need to shut your eyes." Keito did, and within seconds he felt something wet pressed against his lips. He parted them, and the thing slid in. As soon as it hit his tongue he knew what it was.

"Watermelon?" He said, opening his eyes, the cube of fruit distorting his speech. Daiki nodded.

"Correct! Now it's your turn." He shut his eyes, and Keito examined the array of food, eventually choosing a little bite sized sandwich. He put it gently to Daiki's lips, and the prince opened his mouth wide, barely fitting the whole thing in. His eyes popped open, his cheeks puffed out full of food. Keito held back a giggle. He looked like a hamster like that. Daiki made a show of concentrating, furrowing his brow and nodding dramatically as he chewed. Once he swallowed he nodded one last time, cleared his throat, and said

"Ham, lettuce, mayo, and cheese." Keito inspected the remaining sandwiches, and nodded. Daiki laughed, at how ridiculous he had been, and leaned over the basket to choose his next item, Keito shutting his eyes accordingly. They did this until they were full, the strawberries sparking a conversation that eventually took the place of eating, and they were having a great time, listening to each other and playing around. Eventually however, they began to notice the heat, the gentle breeze that had kept them cool at the beginning of the picnic long gone, their clothes beginning to stick to their bodies. Daiki sighed, fanning himself with his hand, and then fanning Keito with his hand. Keito grinned, and nodded.

"It's getting hot, ne?" Daiki nodded, and stood up, taking the golden band all of the prince's wore and plucking it off of his head, placing it gently on the blanket. It was weird to see him without it, like seeing someone that always wore their hair up with it down. Then he grabbed the edges of his shirt, pulling that up over his head and throwing it onto the blanket at well. Keito was confused. What was he doing? Not that Keito really minded. Daiki's torso, shoulders, and arms were nothing well defined muscle, the word ‘sexy’ coming to mind as his eyes grazed over the shorter boys collar bones, up over his shoulders, and down the length of his arm, taking in every dip and curve of muscle. Daiki took a few steps backwards, and then took off running, crossing the distance to the pond in a matter of seconds and barreling straight in, splashing loudly and shrieking hysterically. Keito didn't even try to hold back the laughter, flopping over on the blanket, he laughed until his sides hurt. Daiki grinned, now standing in the pond, the water coming up to the bottom of his ribcage. He tried to sound angry, as he yelled

"Hey! You laughing at me? I'm gonna get you for that, Keito!!" The prince scrambled out of the water, lunging forward and grabbing Keito's waist, his hands wet, his whole body dripping, the water cold on Keito's skin. Keito yelped in surprise, and Daiki let out a low giggle, short fingers wrapping around the hem of Keito's shirt, tugging insistently at it. Keito complied, raising his arms up over his head and allowing Daiki to slip if off, the prince freezing for a moment as Keito's bare chest came into view. Then, within seconds of Keito losing his shirt, a thin drop of blood fell from Daiki's nose.

"Daiki...you have a nosebleed." Keito mumbled. Daiki immediately became flustered.

"No I don't!" He announced, looking adorable as he denied the existence of something so obvious. The prince grabbed Keito's hand, pulling him to his feet and dragging him helter skelter toward the pond, both of them crashing in. Keito now understood why Daiki had screamed: the pond was freezing.

"Not so hot anymore, huh?" Daiki said with a smile, flicking dripping strands of hair out of his eyes. Keito nodded, massaging his toes into the mud.

"C'mon Keito, it's better if you move around!" Daiki announced, flailing his arms around and splashing. Keito splashed back in retaliation, and it soon turned into a splashing war. The war escalated with giggles and yells, and Daiki jumped on him, successfully dunking Keito. Keito pushed himself up, out of the water with speed, jumping on Daiki before he could get away and picking him up—the prince wasn't as heavy as Keito had thought he would be—throwing him into the air. Daiki landed with a splash, and he came up laughing.

"Okay, okay! You win this time!" Daiki announced. They continued to play, talking and blowing bubbles and splashing. Occasionally another 'fight' would break out, and they'd wrestle and move water around, pick each other up and laugh and yell. For over two hours they played, before Daiki finally decided that he was hungry again, pulling himself out of the pond. Keito followed suit, water running down his legs and torso as a pulled himself out of the pond. They squelched over to the blanket, sitting down side by side. Daiki propped open the lid of the basket, pulling out two little cakes, and passing one to Keito. Keito thanked him and they ate in a content silence, the air beginning to dry them as they sat there.

"I've had a lot of fun." Daiki announced, once he had swallow the last of his cake. Keito nodded.

"Me too." A lot of fun was a bit of an understatement. Today had been amazing. Keito lay backwards, back against the blanket, and he shut his eyes, feeling the sunlight filter through the trees leaves and spatter his skin with warmth. He sensed Daiki moving, and he propped himself up on his elbows, crossing his legs. Daiki took advantage of his position, laying his shoulders back on Keito's chest, his bare skin warm and smooth against Keito's own. The touch made Keito's heart jump in his chest, and Daiki looked up at him through his bangs with large eyes. So...beautiful. Keito smiled, pushing himself up so that he was sitting, wrapping one arm comfortably around Daiki's shoulders, his fingers brushing gently across the smooth, warm skin, and using the other the gently comb through Daiki's bangs, so that he could see the prince's eyes better. They had a warm glow that was full of affection, and tenderness. Slowly, Daiki shifted, turning around and leaning in, closer, and closer, until he gently pressed his lips to Keito's own. Time stood still, and all there was was Daiki, the warmth of him, and his soft lips, until he pulled away. They both smiled at each other, and right then everything was perfect.

"Keito...will you be my boyfriend?" Daiki asked, gently entwining his fingers into Keito's hair. Keito nodded, leaning forward for another kiss.


	8. Chapter 8

The next week flew by, Prince Daiki constantly visiting, helping Keito and Yuto with their chores, sneaking in a quick hug when he could. Yuto thought it was one of the cutest things he had ever seen, and he constantly told Keito this, regularly asking him to 'please tell me about the date again', it eventually becoming almost like a bedtime story. Through Daiki's visits Keito learned that the shorter boy was one of those people that didn't wake up early, and if they were forced to they were zombies for at least half an hour. Therefore he was very surprised when he woke one morning to a gentle finger brushing his hair out of his face. He opened his eyes, expecting to see Yuto, or perhaps his mother, but was met with the smiling face of his new boyfriend. Boyfriend. The thought still made him rather anxious. He wasn't sure he was good enough for Daiki. He was just a commoner, after all. He had tried to voice this thought before, but Daiki had brushed the comment aside, with an immediate "Do you really think your status is important?" Keito shook the memory out of his head, sitting up and rubbing his eyes, smiling.

"This is a surprise. Why are you awake?" He asked, and Daiki sighed.

"Chii. He woke me up because he had a bad dream, and I couldn't fall back asleep." Chii—Prince Chinen. Keito thought that the prince's nicknames for each other were adorable, but he'd never used Daiki's. Perhaps he would...one day.

"Anyway, I thought I'd come see you, but you were still asleep." Keito looked out of his window. Dawn was just beginning. It was so early...he yawned, gently resting his head on Daiki's shoulder. The prince giggled, running a hand gently through Keito's hair.

"You're cute when you're sleepy." He announced, and Keito blinked, the statement making him embarrassed, heightening his awareness and causing him to feel more awake. He sat up, stretching and swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

"I'm going to change..." Keito announced, and Daiki nodded, watching as Keito self consciously dug around in his drawers, pulling out a black shirt with a low cut neckline and silver embroidery, and a matching pair of pants. He needed to change...but Daiki wasn't leaving. As if suddenly understanding the prince stood, crossing the room and slipping out the door quietly. Keito sighed in relief, quickly taking off his nightshirt and pulling on his clothes, running a brush through his hair, and popping a few joints before he opened the door. Daiki was leaning against the wall, eyes closed, cheeks red, his chest rising and falling rapidly. Weird.

"Daiki...are you okay?" Keito asked, putting a hand on his forehead. No detectible fever. Daiki looked up at him, his eyes sweeping over Keito's body, and his blush grew bigger.

"I'm fine, sorry." Keito nodded. Good. Daiki leaned forward, and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek, causing Keito to grin.

"C'mon, let's go eat." The short prince said, slipping their hands together, and walking Keito down to the kitchen.

"So, how's your family?" Keito asked, once they had gotten their meal. Daiki sighed, running a hand through his hair and nearly dislodging his golden band from it's resting place on his crown.

"Crazy, as always." The prince said, a grin creeping onto his face.

"They all have crushes now. Let me see..." He pretended to stroke a fake beard, contorting his face into a mock look of intense concentration.

"Hikaru, he likes Yabu Kota—son of the head advisor to the king of the Northern Kingdom. Then there's Chinen, who likes the third prince of said Kingdom—Ryutaro. Which is fine, they're both very nice, but after that it starts to get complicated." Daiki took a bite, and Keito took the opportunity to ask

"Complicated?" Daiki nodded, continuing

"Yeah. See there's the second prince, Prince Takaki Yuya. He—well he thinks he's in love with my sister, but he's not, he's actually in love with Inoo. And Ayaki is dating Prince Takaki, apparently with the intention of marrying him. Meanwhile Inoo is in denial about his feelings for Prince Takaki, even through it's obvious to the rest of us that he's got a complete crush. So as of right now he's locked himself in his room, pining, or something. We're not really sure—he hasn't told us because he hasn't left."

Keito was taken aback. He tried to wrap his head around what Daiki had just said, but he felt like he had just been told the middle of a story without any working knowledge of the beginning. So he asked the most obvious question.

"How is it that this prince _thinks_ he's in love with Princess Ayaki when in _actuality_ he's in love with Prince Inoo. That doesn't make sense logically." Daiki giggled, and swallowed the last of his breakfast.

"It's a pretty funny story actually. See about a month before you came my father threw a ball for Ayaki...the problem was that we didn't have her yet. See, we were all adopted. But my brothers and I were adopted together when we were little kids. Dad wanted four sons and a daughter...but when he got us the 'daughter' that he adopted was Inoo, who turned out to be a guy." He paused, and Keito nodded, signaling him to continue.

"So, he was going to just adopt a girl, but it didn't end up happening. Meanwhile we all grew up. So dad eventually got around to beginning to adopt Ayaki, and he planned a ball, the one I mentioned earlier, but the adoption process was delayed, so Inoo went to that ball as Ayaki. Does this make sense so far?" While Daiki had been talking he had been making hand motions to explain, waving his chopsticks about. Now he was waiting for Keito to respond with wide eyes. So cute.

"I think so...how did Prince Inoo go to the ball as Princess Ayaki?"

"Oh, he wore a dress and pretended to be a girl! It was hilarious." Daiki explained with a prankster grin. Keito giggled at the thought. But in all honesty Prince Inoo in a dress was exactly what Princess Ayaki looked like every day.

"Anyways, Inoo and Takaki hit it off at Ayaki's party and flirted all night. But..." Daiki paused for dramatic effect, inhaling and puffing up his chest. "Ayaki arrived the next day, and while she looks a lot like Inoo, that is where their similarities end. So, Prince Takaki has been romancing her under the hope that she will turn out to be like he had first hoped, which is impossible because she isn't the same person that he had first met. Meanwhile Inoo has been in denial about his feelings. But a few days ago we kinda forced him to consider that he might have a crush on the prince...and he's been locked in his room ever since." Daiki said the last bit in one big breath, looking rather guilty. Keito took his hand across the table, giving it a squeeze, and Daiki entwined their fingers, giving Keito a happy little smile.

"Your family is busy, always doing things." Keito said, and as if to prove his point Prince Chinen popped in, skipping.

"Dai-chan! I need your help with my letter." Daiki dropped Keito's hand, turning to face his brother.

"Letter?" Chinen nodded enthusiastically. Up close you could see the ink splattered on the little prince's fingers and the back of his hand, black finger prints on his cheek.

"To Ryu-chan!" He announced, and Daiki pouted.

"Can't you get Yama-chan to help you?" At that Chinen pouted right back, and after a few moments Daiki stood up, ruffling his little brother’s hair.

"Okay." He turned back to Keito, who stood, Daiki immediately wrapping him in a quick hug.

"See you later, okay?" The prince said, his deep voice hopeful. Keito nodded, blushing at the show of affection in front of the other prince. But Prince Chinen just smiled, also giving Keito a hug before the two left, the younger one already discussing his letter with excited concentration. They were so cute, the royal family seemed really close. Keito wondered what it must have been like to have been raised in that environment. He entertained the notion as he busied himself with the breakfast dishes, just drying the last cup when there was a voice at the door.

"Okamoto! Come here." He looked up to see Princess Ayaki standing at the door, looking uncomfortable. He dried his hands, hurrying over.

"Yes, your highness?" Up close it was astounding just how much she looked like Prince Inoo. He nearly grinned at the thought. Nearly.

"I'm having a birthday party in two weeks, and I need a new gown to be completed by then, as well as matching themed outfits for my brothers. I went to the sewing room but the seamstress wasn't there, honestly that woman..." She scoffed, and Keito felt himself growing angry. Any mistreatment of his mother was one of the few things, if not the only thing, that he was easily angered by.

"Well I'm sure she's doing something very important, in the meantime I can help you." Keito said, with a bow. She nodded curtly, whisking him off to his mothers workroom. He sat down in his mothers chair, pulling out a pen and one of the blank pages she kept for designs, ready to listen to the princess' ideas about the dress. The girl just sat there, fingering the necklace she was wearing. Eventually she pointed at it.

"You see this?" Keito nodded. She smirked.

"Prince Takaki gave it to me. It's aquamarine and gold. I want my dress to be made centered around this. And my brothers. We should all be in aquamarine blue." Keito nodded, making note in the corner of the page. He also drew a quick sketch of the necklace, pulling his mothers box of colors from her drawer, mixing until he got the color of the gem, putting a splotch of it in the corner. He nodded, happy with himself. She just stood, looking down at him.

"I expect the designs done in two days. Please tell that woman I'll be back to review them then." Then, surrounded in snootiness she exited. When she left Keito slumped in his chair, letting out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. The princess was nothing like her brothers. He sighed, looking over the dress requirements. Two weeks was a very short amount of time to get six elaborate outfits complete. His mom was going to need all the help she could get. He picked up his pen, pulling out a fresh sheet of paper. He could at least brainstorm some ideas. He worked for a few hours before his mother returned, her arms full of new bolts of fabric. Keito immediately hopped up, taking them from her and placing them in the racks of cloth along he back wall. He checked over the colors she had gotten. If they were frugal there might be enough of this aquamarine color.

"Mother, Princess Ayaki came by." He informed her. She sat down in the chair he had been occupying, running a hand through her hair.

"She wants a new dress and matching outfits for herself and her brothers before her party in two weeks." At this his mom looked up at him, surprised.

"She left some notes, here." He picked up the papers he had been sketching on, flipping through to the page with the color and the necklace design on it. His mom took it, examining the paper, and sighed.

"She wants the designs done in two days..." He added. His mother nodded.

"Forget two days, if I'm going to get these done I'd need the designs done by...now." She was already looking worried. Keito held out his sketches, biting his lip nervously.

"If you like these you could base some of them off of these...I know they're rough, and I don't usually help with this part, but..." She took his designs, glancing the one on top—Prince Chinen's—before looking up at him.

"What is this?" Keito stuck his hands in his pockets, eyes glancing at his feet.

"Ideas for the new wardrobe for Princess Ayaki and the Princes." His mother's eyes lit up, and she examined the page with a new fervor. Silently she flipped through them all, taking her time with each one. Keito's nerves were increasing the longer she stayed silent, but he stood there silently, attempting to gauge her reaction. Finally she looked back over at him, and broke out in a huge smile.

"Keito, you just saved me." She stood, pulling him in for a hug.

"Oh, they're wonderful darling! We'll get started right away...unless you have anything else to do?" Keito shook his head, and smiled back. Relief and satisfaction washed through him. Thank goodness.

He spent the rest of the day I'm his mothers workroom, Yuto eventually joining them, helping them pin things together. With the three of them they managed to get a third of the way through completing Prince Chinen's new outfit, his mother explaining that they would probably finish tomorrow, and then get started on the next one. Sure enough the next day all three of them had devoted themselves to creating the royal siblings new party wardrobe. They each were assigned different jobs: Yuto cut the fabric and pinned it using each prince's personal mannequin, Keito sewed the fabric together, and his mother did all of the embroidery and added any special touches, helped when anyone needed any help, and oversaw the whole process.

By the beginning of the third day they were working like a well-oiled machine, and had all completely forgotten about the princess stopping by to see the designs until she was standing in the doorway. But they seemed to have gone over well, she didn't say anything, nodding once and leaving brusquely, humming something. The whole castle was abustle, everyone working feverishly to make sure things would be ready for the princess' party. It wasn't until after dark that Keito stopped sewing, looking down at the half-finished top that would eventually be Prince Inoo's, his eyes itching with tiredness.

"Goodnight." He mumbled to the top, setting it on the table and exiting the room. He stretched, a yawn escaping his lips, and he pushed open his bedroom door, thinking of nothing but his nice warm bed. He jumped when his eyes caught on a figure sitting there on his bed, their Shakespeare book in his hands. Daiki looked up from the book, and smiled. He pointed at the page.

"I don't understand a word of this." The short prince announced. Keito took a few more steps, shutting the door behind himself quietly.

"Daiki, what're you doing here?" He asked, sitting down next to the older boy. Daiki grinned, his skin warm in the light of Keito's oil lamp.

"I just thought you'd want to know that Inoo came out of his room today. I was about to leave actually, I didn't think you were going to show up." Keito leaned back against the wall, resting his head and looking up at the ceiling, holding back a yawn that was threatening to form in the back of his throat.

"How is he?" He asked, and Daiki furrowed his brows, standing up.

"Keito, I can leave." Keito immediately was taken aback. That's not—

"No! Daiki..." He grabbed the shorter boy's hand, pulling on it gently. Daiki looked down at him, and Keito adjusted himself on the bed, patting the spot next to him. Daiki relented, sitting down on the mattress, wrapping an arm loosely around Keito's waist.

"Tell me about your brother." Keito prompted, and Daiki nodded, fingers playing with the wrinkles in Keito's shirt.

"Inoo came into my room today looking like a zombie...like this." Daiki let his eyelids sag, extending his jaw down as far as it could go without his lips pulling apart, and Keito couldn't help smiling.

"And he drags me down to the kitchen where Hikaru is, and announces to us that he likes Prince Takaki, all dramatic as if we didn't already know." Daiki chuckled, shaking his head at the thought of his brother's dramatics.

"So anyway, Hikaru has started to formulate a plan to get them together. Oh! And there's more news! My sister told us today that she's having a birthday party, so that'll be fun, don't ya think?" Keito bit his lips, wondering if he should just play along and nod, or tell Daiki just how much 'fun' everyone else was having when it came to his sister's birthday party.

"I know about the party." He finally announced, with a small sigh. Daiki looked over at him, surprised.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, everyone's been working on the preparations nonstop for the past few days. I've been helping my mom with your family's wardrobe. We had just stopped for the day when I came in..." Daiki remained silent, as if he had never even considered just how much work would go into the balls and parties that his family decided to have.

"Oh, but guess what..." Keito said, feeling bad for the way that his words might come off. Daiki was looking embarrassed.

"What?"

"I designed them...the clothes you and your siblings are going to wear. So that'll be cool for me, to see you all in something I came up with." Daiki nodded, and they sat in silence for a moment.

"Keito I'm sorry for what I said—" Daiki started, but Keito cut him off, planting a kiss on his cheek.

"Daiki, I'm gonna be busy for the next two weeks, so...just...kiss me." Keito mumbled, feeling slightly embarrassed by his request. Daiki put a hand to Keito's cheek, and was shifting forward, leaning closer, when suddenly the door opened, and they both jumped, pulling apart. Keito's blood ran cold when his eyes met his fathers. His face remained blank, impassive. He bowed politely to Daiki, before turning to Keito.

"Keito, where's your mother?" Keito felt the nerves calming. He knew the answer to that.

"She went to the showers." His father left without a word. Daiki looked over at him, a blush on his cheeks.

"Sorry...sorry about that." Keito mumbled. Daiki just leaned forward again, this time pressing their lips together. He pulled them apart for a moment before kissing him again, gentle, warm kisses, one of his hands cupping Keito's face, the other making comfortable circles on his forearm. Warm, hazy comfort was all Keito could comprehend, and somehow they ended up snuggling. Keito didn't know when he fell asleep, all he knew was that when he woke up Daiki was gone.


	9. Chapter 9

Keito didn't see his boyfriend for a week. He barely had a moment to realize it, his days filled with sewing and running last minute errands, staying up late into the night and waking up early. But there was a sense of satisfaction at the end of every day when he looked over the clothing and could see how much progress they had made in that day. Then, the day before the party guests began arriving, suddenly, they were done. They all froze, time standing still as they looked over the six gorgeous outfits they had completed. Then Yuto let out a whoop, jumping in the air and wrapping his arms around Keito.

"WE DID IT!" Keito broke out into a huge grin. His mother too looked giddy, eyes running over the new additions to the royal family's wardrobe over and over. Their success however, did not guarantee them a break from work. Within minutes they were whisked away to change every pair of drapes in the castle, Yuto being told to take the western half and Keito the eastern. Keito filled his baskets up with new drapes and began his new task. It was tedious work, but he was lighthearted after the completion of the outfits and he let his mind wander, hands busy, folding up the old drapes and slipping on the new ones. The castle was looking impeccable, it's every orifice glistening. Keito was in the middle of reassembling the drape rod he had just taken down when he felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist, squeezing him tightly around the middle.

"Hey handsome." A low voice whispered in his ear, and Keito broke out into a grin as he caught the scent of sunshine. Daiki. It suddenly occurred to him just how much he missed the short prince, and he turned around, but Daiki was already walking away, continuing toward his destination, steps wide and hurried to keep up with Prince Hikaru, who had continued on ahead. Keito watched him go, a hollow feeling in his chest. After that the loneliness persisted, nagging and sucking the joy out of everything he was made to do. It lasted through the night and into the next day, and by the time the sun was setting Keito gave into the want tugging at him, making the excuse that he needed to check the fitting for Daiki's new outfit he gently folded it up and carried it up to the third floor, knocking lightly on Daiki's door, excitement rising in his chest. Almost immediately there was a shout of "It's open!", and as quietly as possible Keito stepped inside, announcing

"I've brought you your outfit for the party tomorrow." Daiki, who had been writing something at his desk, whipped his head around at the sound of Keito's voice, a grin growing as he got confirmation of his visitors identity. Keito held out the neat bundle of clothing, and Daiki stood, walking over to where Keito was still standing just inside the doorway. He took the clothes, laying them out on his bed, hand catching Keito's as soon as it was free, their fingers entwining.

"So, what do you think?" Keito asked, and Daiki grinned.

"It's amazing. You did this?" Keito nodded, and Daiki kissed him on the cheek.

"Wow." The prince said, and Keito grinned. They took the clothes, laying them out on the chest at the foot of Daiki's bed. Then, suddenly the older boy's face twisted into a mischievous grin, and he jumped on Keito, unbalancing him and causing him to land on Daiki's huge bed. Daiki caught himself, arms out on either side of Keito's head, his legs straddling Keito's torso.

"I've missed you soooooooo much." Daiki told him, face growing serious. Keito let himself take in Daiki's face, reveling in the perfection of the chubby cheeks and the twinkling brown eyes.

"I've missed you too." He whispered, and Daiki lowered himself onto his elbows, leaning down to kiss Keito, their noses bumping together for a moment before he captured Keito's lips with his own, pushing insistently against Keito, only pulling away once they both were out of breath. Keito blushed, finally realizing how suggestive the position they were in was. Daiki immediately sensed his discomfort, pulling back and sitting on top of Keito's thighs.

"Will you stay a while?" Daiki asked, as Keito propped himself up on his elbows. It was a no brainer. He nodded, and Daiki leaned forward, kissing him again. This time though it was less wanting, more slow and comforting, and happy. Daiki pulled away, climbing off of the bed to shut the door, quickly returning and taking Keito's hand, only hesitating a moment before pulling Keito close, and Keito breathed in the scent of sunshine that radiated from Daiki's skin. Without thinking he kissed the closest collar bone, feeling the smooth warmth of Daiki's body Daiki pulled back to press their lips back together, one arm around Keito's waist. The other on the back of his head as he slowly shifted Keito so that he was once again laying on his back on Daiki's bed, this time his head propped up by the prince's mountain of pillows.

"It's easier to kiss you this way." Daiki whispered, his low voice ringing through Keito's body, sending his senses into overdrive before he leaned in to kiss him once more, the kisses coming over and over, lazily slow, as if they had all of the time in the world. Gentle. Keito's arms wrapped themselves loosely around Daiki's shoulders, and he felt himself smiling into each kiss. They gradually got shorter and shorter, until after one last peck Daiki suddenly attacked Keito's sides with his hands, fingers dancing and skittering, causing Keito to yelp in surprise. Daiki let out a low giggle, and within seconds Keito was writhing on the bed, attempting to tickle Daiki back. He caught his right hand in the prince's armpit, causing Daiki to pull away, sitting up and giving Keito the advantage. He took full use of it, switching their positions and tickling everywhere he could. It was however, a pretty even match, and it wasn't long before Daiki was retaliating with full force. Caught up in it all, Keito lost track of time.

Eventually they called a truce, both of them breathing hard, their cheeks hurting from laughing, their sides sore and fingers tired. They flopped down next to each other on the bed, calming down.

"What have you been up to?" Daiki asked, looking over at Keito, his arms resting comfortably on his chest.

"I've been sewing most of the week, with my mother, and Yuto. Although today I changed out some of the drapes." Keito said, realizing after he had said it just how lacking that sounded.

"What about you?" He asked, and Daiki smiled, rolling his eyes as if he was recalling something ridiculous.

"The Northern Kingdom's royal family arrived today." He said, and Keito knew he was in for an amusing story.

"How was that?" He prompted, and Daiki shifted so that he was laying on his side, his head propped up on one hand.

"It was nice, I mean they're cool, and I was glad to see them again. My brothers were pretty funny though. See..." He stopped, trying to figure out how to explain.

"Chii was so excited he nearly tackled the King, which would have been kinda bad, because no one tackles a king. Then we got to meet Rensuke, who's the oldest son. Of course once Takaki walked in Inoo turned into a swooning idiot...not that the object of his affections noticed. Hikaru kissed Yabu-kun on the cheek when he thought no one was looking—which he failed at because everyone saw. And Chinen clung to Ryutaro, refusing to let go. It was funny to see how taken aback the King, Queen, and Rensuke were. They weren't expecting any of it."

"And the prince's were okay with it?" Keito was surprised.

"Of course! Oh—you haven't met them yet, have you?" Keito shook his head.

"Let's go!" Daiki said, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and sliding down. Keito just sat there, biting his lip. This wasn't a good idea. He was just a servant, and those boys were the princes from another country. It wasn't like when Daiki met them, they were equals.

"I shouldn't go." He announced, and Daimi frowned.

"Why not?"

"I...It's not my place." Daiki froze, as if suddenly remembering that Keito wasn't of the same social status as himself, and he opened his mouth as if he was wanting to say that it didn't matter, but no words came out, and Keito knew. Even if Daiki didn't care that Keito wasn't royalty, he couldn't guarantee anyone else felt the same.

"Well, they're probably asleep anyway...don't you wanna see what they look like?" Daiki offered. Keito was confused.

"You mean peek in on them while they're sleeping?" Daiki sat down on the floor, crossing his legs underneath himself.

"Yeah, that's ridiculous, huh." Keito stood up, glancing out one of the windows, finally remembering that it was night.

"I should probably go, actually."

"No! Don't...I mean..." Daiki stood up, taking Keito's hand, using his other arm to pull their bodies closer together. "Stay...please." He asked, his voice quiet and low. Keito's thoughts immediately went down the gutter.

"All...all night?" he asked, feeling his cheeks growing red at the prospect. He knew that he more than liked Daiki, but...but making love was...

"Yeah. All night." Daiki's lips were millimeters from Keito's own, and he leaned in to kiss him, but Keito pulled away.

"I...I don't think...I'm not ready." Keito admitted, glancing once at Daiki's confused face and then down at his feet. It was Daiki's turn to blush, and he started backtracking immediately.

"No! No, I mean like...a sleepover or something! If you want we don't even have to cuddle, or sleep in the same bed—I mean...No! Not like that...I'm not trying to force you to do anything you don't...I wasn't suggesting that...I mean...it's not that I don't want to, but I think we should...not yet, I mean....argh..." Daiki buried his face in his hands, and what little of his skin Keito could see was beet red with embarrassment.

"Okay." He said, and Daiki's head shot up in surprise, eyes searching Keito's face.

"Okay?" He asked. Keito smiled.

"Okay, I'll spend the night." Daiki blinked in surprise.

"Seriously?!" Keito nodded, and a grin slowly formed on his face. Keito found himself smiling back. After a quick kiss Daiki announced

"If you're spending the night you're gonna need pajamas. Let me see..." He wandered over to a door, pulling it open and revealing the biggest closet Keito had ever seen. It was about the size of Keito's bedroom; hangers made four isles, and each isle was organized by type and color. It was amazing.

"Pajamas are this way..." Daiki announced, leading Keito down the aisle and to the right, turning again and going down that isle until they were in the far corner. Keito couldn't help but stare at the garments as they walked by, the colors and the occasional shimmering or sparkling caught his eye. Daiki skimmed through his sets of pajamas, eventually pulling out a light green set, announcing

"This is the biggest pair I own...but..." He held it up to Keito's frame. The pants were definitely too short. He put the set back, and said

"We'll have to borrow some from one of my brothers. Who's the closest to your size?"

"It's okay, I can—"

"No Keito, it's fine, you're not bothering or troubling anyone." Daiki announced, knowing why Keito was protesting. "C'mon. Who do you think is closest?"

Keito thought about it. Definitely not Prince Yamada, or Chinen. Either Prince Inoo or Hikaru. But Inoo was so skinny...

"Probably Prince Hikaru...right?" He said, and Daiki nodded, agreeing.

"Probably." They exited Daiki's room, following the hallway to the next door. Daiki pushed it open, and was faced with the tip of a sword. He froze, and a wash of fear gripped Keito's chest. Then, to his surprise Daiki just giggled, and said

"Practicing for Yabu, Hika?" The sword was lowered, and a pajama clad Prince Hikaru stepped forward.

"You got me." The older boy announced, his eyes catching on Keito. He smiled, and said "C'mon in.", holding open the door with a sweep of his hand. Daiki did, but Keito stood just outside, nervous. The prince just smiled even bigger, and said

"You too, Keito." Once Keito was inside the room Hikaru closed the door, sheathing his sword and leaning it against his bed frame. Keito looked around, wide eyed. The room was beautiful, colored in rich purples and golds, and spoke of the grandness of a future king. This grandness was interrupted when Hikaru did a nosedive onto his bed, causing the mattress to shake and bounce. Daiki hopped on right after him, and Keito was amazed by how comfortable they were with being surrounded by such beautiful, opulent things. He couldn't imagine it.

"So, you two are out late? What's up?" Prince Hikaru asked, flipping himself onto his back and leaning against his headboard.

"Keito's spending the night with me tonight." Daiki explained with a grin. Prince Hikaru wolf whistled, looking at Keito in surprise. Keito immediately felt the need to explain.

"No, your majesty. It's not like...it's just...like a slumber party." He mumbled, staring at his feet. Prince Hikaru stood up, putting a finger on Keito's chin, lifting his face so that their eyes met.

"It's okay Keito I'm your friend; stop calling me your majesty, and speak up for yourself. I'm Hikaru. Just Hikaru." Keito nodded, and Hikaru grinned, leaning forward and whispering in his ear

"I'm gonna make Daiki jealous, it’s hilarious, watch." He stood back up, and turned back to Daiki

"Slumber party huh? I wanna come! Oh, this'll be fun! Keito and I can have a pillow fight, and look at the stars together, and curl up together like this when it gets cold!" He wrapped his arms around Keito's waist, pulling him close, startling Keito. Daiki immediately scrunched his eyebrows in distaste.

"No, you're not invited." He announced, getting up and grabbing Keito by the arm, pulling him out of Hikaru's grasp.

"Maybe Keito wants me to come. Maybe Keito and I are—" Daiki pulled Keito even farther away from his brother, shielding him.

"No! Keito is mine!" He announced, and Keito felt himself going red, and he grabbed the back of Daiki's shirt, embarrassed. Hikaru pouted, and dropped his arms.

"Then why'd you come see me?" He asked, and Keito caught his eye, sending him the best 'what are you doing?' face he could manage. Hikaru just winked slyly in his direction.

"We came because Keito needs some pajamas, and you're the closest to his size." Daiki told his brother. Hikaru nodded, and said

"Yeah, okay. One sec, Just let me..." He trailed off, beginning to unbutton his own shirt, taking it off and wrapping it around Keito's shoulders.

"There's the top, now..." He reached for his waistband, and Keito's eyes widened in disbelief. He wasn't—

"OI!" Daiki yelled, jumping forward and whacking his brother on the head. Hikaru broke out in a grin, and then he let himself laugh, holding his stomach as he did so.

"Oh Dai-chan, that was too easy." Hikaru announced with a grin, and Daiki took Keito's hand, still frowning at his brother.

"Hikaru, that wasn't funny."

"Aw, come on. Not even a little?" Hikaru said, walking over to his own closet and disappearing inside.

"Okay, maybe a little." Daiki announced, and Hikaru returned with a triumphant grin on his face, and a pair of pajama pants in his hand. He tossed them to Keito, but he overshot, and they landed on Keito's head. Quickly he pulled them off, and Hikaru said

"You can try them on in my bathroom, see if they fit." He gestured to another door, and Keito bowed in thanks, quietly letting himself in. The room was amazing, fixtures created with complex and beautiful designs, everything sparkling and clean. He tried not to touch anything, changing quickly. He came out, his own clothes folded in his arms. Both of the princes looked him over as soon as he came out. Hikaru nodded.

"Looks like a pretty good fit to me." He announced.

"Thank you so much." Keito said, bowing. Hikaru scoffed, and said

"Keito, we're buds now. Quit being so polite." Keito just nodded, and Daiki stepped forward, wrapping an arm around Keito's waist.

"We're gonna go now. Thanks Hika." He led Keito out of the room, back down the hall to his own bedroom. On the way Keito let a yawn escape his lips, and when they walked back in, and he saw Daiki's huge comfortable bed he realized that he was exhausted. He yawned again, and Daiki stroked Keito's cheek gently, asking

"D'you wanna go to sleep?" Keito considered it. Yes, he really did. He nodded, and Daiki nodded back.

"I'm gonna put on my own pajamas, you can hop on into bed." He announced. Keito nodded again, and Daiki disappeared into his closet. Slowly Keito climbed onto the bed, pulling back the huge comforter and sliding in. Oh. Wow. It was amazing. Comforting warmth enveloped his body, and everything was soft. After a minute there was the sound of a door opening, and Daiki emerged from his closet, turning out the lights and slipping into bed beside Keito. He scooted closer, and Keito held out and arm, pulling Daiki close, feeling the littler boy wrap his fingers in Keito's shirt. Keito looked into the darkness and could just barely make out Daiki's adorable big eyes, looking up at him.

"Goodnight." He whispered, and leaned forward, pressing his lips to Daiki's in a slow, long kiss. Daiki hummed contentedly into it, and when it broke he buried his face into Keito's shoulder. Keito wrapped his arm around Daiki's back, feeling his heart beating. Everything was perfect. Allowing himself a small smile he shut his eyes, and in moments he was fast asleep.


	10. Chapter 10

Keito woke to sunlight hitting his face. He blinked, the sudden brightness blinding him momentarily. Then, he tried to move his arm, and found that he couldn't. He looked down, and got a face full of brown hair. Oh. He had spent the night in bed with Daiki. The older boy was curled up, hands loosely grabbing the front of Keito's pajama top. He looked peaceful, his smooth skin stark against the forest green sheets, a small smile on his lips. Keito placed a feathery kiss on his boyfriends forehead and carefully pulled his shirt out of Daiki's little fingers, slipping his legs out of the bed and placing his feet on the floor, standing up. He walked the span of the room to the door, quietly slipping out. Yawning and stretching he padded down to the kitchen, the silky cuffs of Hikaru's pajamas flapping against his ankles as he walked. The first thing he saw as he entered the room was Mrs. Nakajima working over a steaming pot. He knocked gently on the doorframe, and she looked up, smiling when she saw him.

"Good morning Keito! How're you?" She asked, putting the lid back on the pot and turning off the heat.

"I'm good, thanks." Keito said, sitting down in one of the barstools. She smiled.

"Can I count on you today? I need some helpers with the menu for the ball tonight, and I'd love it if you were one of them." Keito nodded.

"Of course."

"Great! We're going to work in the other kitchen, by the ballrooms. Just meet me there later, okay?"

"Okay...um, Mrs. Nakajima, do you think I could bring Daiki breakfast?" At Keito's question she sent him a knowing look.

"Sure honey." She agreed, and a few minutes later Keito was climbing the stairs, a tray in his hands. When he reached Daiki's bedroom he opened the door quietly, but he nearly dropped the tray when he heard a muffled shout of "Get the heck out of my room!" And a thump from down the hallway. He steadied the tray, and disregarded the yell, pushing open the door to see Daiki sitting up, blinking wearily at him. His big eyes were glossy with sleep, and he looked adorable and confused. Keito found himself melting inside. God he was perfect.

"Good morning....Dai-chan." He said gently, trying out the nickname for the first time. Daiki just rubbed his eyes, and Keito pulled up Daiki's desk chair, sitting right by the bed, placing the plate in Daiki's lap. The older boy just stared at it blearily.

"I got you breakfast." He said, taking the chopsticks from the tray and picking up a piece of eggs, putting the food to Daiki's lips. Daiki stared at him for a moment before parting his lips, taking the eggs and chewing, blinking a few times, each time his eyes becoming more alert. After a few minutes of quiet eating Daiki said

"Good morning, handsome." Keito blushed and smiled. Daiki continued.

"How did you sleep?" The prince asked. Keito put some more food to his lips.

"Really well. Your bed is very comfortable...and you...kept me warm." At his words Daiki grinned, his eyes scrunching up really tiny. He swallowed, just as there was a shout from the hallway.

"Good morning Dai-chan!” Chinen's voice floated through the door.

"Good morning~" Daiki called back, and his door swung open, a whole crowd of people making their way into the room. Keito looked around, counting and taking in faces. There were eight of them. Four were Daiki's brothers, the other four Keito had never seen before, but judging from their clothes and the way they held themselves he assumed that they were the princes from the Northern Kingdom. Nervousness washed through him, and he pursed his lips, not wanting to look at the ground.

"Oh, you're awake." Prince Yamada was pouting at Daiki, disappointment ringing in his voice.

“No need to sound so excited. What are you guys doing anyways?” Daiki looked confused and slightly annoyed at the interruption into their little world.

“Waking everybody up!” Prince Chinen announced cheerily, turning to one of the boys Keito didn't recognize and asking

“Well, I think that you guys started it all by yourself, right?” His question was met with nods of affirmation, and Hikaru turned to a feminine looking older boy, saying

“You guys do know that we’ll be getting you back soon, right? Like… Tomorrow morning, maybe~?” Keito immediately noticed that Hikaru wasn't wearing a shirt, and he looked down at the one he was wearing, feeling a little guilty. The feminine boy protested.

“But we have a party tonight. We’ll be up till like midnight, and—” He was cut off by Prince Inoo, who said

“You were on the road all day yesterday and seem fine.” His words were met with silence, and the skinny prince grinned. The smile dropped off of his face however, when a female voice was heard.

“There you guys are!” Princess Ayaki peeked her head in, and Keito averted his gaze, not looking at the girl.

“There’s still tons of stuff to do! C’mon!” She sounded annoyed and rather stressed. No one really seemed to care. Hikaru glanced at a tall, thin boy standing next to him, his eyes starry and affectionate for a moment, and Keito realized that the tall boy must be Yabu Kota, the son of the northern king's head advisor.

“Do we have to do it?” Hikaru protested. “I mean, helping out is fun sometimes, but—” Princess Ayaki wasn't in the mood to put up with much of anything it seemed, and she snapped at her brother.

“Well, at least begin looking presentable. And eat breakfast.” Prince Yamada fell into a mocking bow, and said

“Yes your highness.” The princess huffed and turned on her heel, strutting off. Prince Inoo turned to Hikaru, eyes raking over his bare chest.

“Hikaru, I think that roughly translates to: Go put a shirt on.” The oldest brother's words were cast aside however, when Yabu announced

“I think he looks just fine without a shirt on.” Keito blushed at the obvious flirting, and the mass of royalty burst into giggles. Then, someone's stomach growled, and Prince Yamada announced

"To the kitchen!" He turned to Daiki, and asked

"You coming?" Daiki started to decline, but Keito caught his eye.

"You should go, I have to go help in the kitchen anyway." Daiki pouted a bit, but nodded, slipping out of bed. He joined the pack of royalty, and Keito watched them all leave, slipping away and taking a back route to his bedroom, changing into his own clothes before heading past the main kitchen on his way to the ballroom kitchen. As he passed he peeked his head in, unnoticed by everyone. Yuto was serving them all, an apron tied around his tiny little waist. Prince Yamada was talking with him enthusiastically, and Yuto laughed at something the prince had said, causing the shorter boy to smile. It looked like Yuto's crush was headed in a good direction. Keito felt a little glow of triumph rising in his chest at the thought, and he flashed Yuto a thumbs up, despite his friends obliviousness.

The rest of the boys were all talking and joking, Prince Chinen was playing with a northerner's hair, the other boy blushing a bit and halfheartedly batting his hands away. Cute. Remembering suddenly what he was supposed to be doing, Keito moved on, through the halls to the elaborate section of the castle that all parties and events were held in. He soon found the kitchen, and when he pushed open the door he was met with a large group of the castle's servants under the order of Mrs. Nakajima. Within moments he was whisked into the fray, and the hours passed in a flurry of homemade icing and fruit tarts, and before he knew it Mrs. Nakajima was wiping the smeared icing off of his cheek with a finger, a weary smile on her face.

"Alright Keito...now we need some backup waiters for the party, so here's your uniform—" She placed an outfit in his hands "—so go get changed, and then we'll get you a tray." He nodded, taking the pile of clothing back to his room, laying the outfit out on the bed, examining it. It consisted of a pair of black slacks, a long sleeved white button down, a black silk vest, and a silk aquamarine blue bow tie. He slipped the clothes on, pulling the tie straight as he looked over his reflection in the mirror. Everything fit perfectly. He headed back to the ballroom, and as he approached the sounds of conversation and music floated on the air. He found the kitchen doors, pushing his way in. The room was full of other castle servants dressed in matching uniforms all loading large round silver trays with the appetizers and beverages they had made throughout the day. In the bustle Mrs. Nakajima spotted him, waving him over.

"Keito! Great, you can take...the strawberry tarts. Here's a tray," she pulled one off of a stack. "and the tarts are over there." She handed him the tray and gestured to racks of little plates full of the treats. He took the tray, filling it up and carefully balancing it on one hand, using the other to push open the doors, and he let himself into the ballroom. It was amazing. The room was circular, the ceiling a large dome covered in murals of angels, stars, and magic. Hanging throughout were elaborate crystal chandeliers that refracted their soft light, glittering and glistening onto the people below. On either side of the room were beautiful staircases that led up to large second story balconies. The floor was made of a stunning white marble, and all around the edges of the room were circular tables, the center of the floor left open for dancing, and at he far end live music was playing. All around, people in opulent clothing chatted, greetings being exchanged and pleasantries passed around. All of these people were the nobles the the princess had invited. Keito bit his lip, letting out an internal whimper. He didn't want to have to go up to these people and interrupt their conversations and bother them. He let out a deep breath, and walked up to a man standing alone.

"Would you care for a strawberry tart, sir?" He asked, offering the tray. To his relief the man took one, and in the same manner he continued on to the next person, offering the tray in the same manner, and so it continued. For almost an hour he bobbed through the people before spotted a familiar face. Prince Hikaru was talking to a group of middle-aged dukes and duchesses, obviously entertaining them with jokes and funny stories. Keito didn't go over to them, but just seeing the prince gave him some comfort, knowing that there was a friend in the room; Yuto was in charge of taking care of the main kitchen tonight, so he wasn't there. He had just given away his last tart, tucking his tray under his arm when he turned around and found himself face to face with Daiki. He froze.


	11. Chapter 11

The prince was stunning. His usual golden band had been replaced with an elaborate delicate tangle of gold that twisted through his shiny brown hair, rising in the front center, embedded with shining diamonds. He wore the outfit Keito had designed, and it fit him perfectly, just barely hinting at the toned muscles underneath the clothes, yet still comfortable looking. He had a slight blush on his cheeks, and his eyes slowly raked over Keito's own body, taking him in, surprise showing on his face.

"Y-you look...amazing." Daiki said, and it was Keito's turn to be surprised._ He_ looked amazing? Had Daiki _looked_ in the mirror? Daiki looked like an angel from heaven. He looked perfect. Daiki stepped forward, dangerously close, and leaned in for a kiss, but Keito took a step to the side, dodging it and returning to the kitchen, his heart pounding in his chest. What was Daiki doing?! They were in public! In front of everyone! It would look so bad if the son of the king kissed one of the _male servants_ in a room full of nobles. Keito took a deep breath, and returned his tray to the stack, surprised to find the kitchen almost completely empty. Only Mrs. Nakajima was there, cleaning dishes. She smiled at him, and said

"You can stay in here for a while Keito. We probably won't need you again until we cut the cake."

He nodded, and quickly pulled on an apron, assigning himself to another stack at a separate sink, rolling up his sleeves and quickly getting to work. They worked mostly in silence, listening to the faint sounds of music drifting in through the door whenever a servant returned to refill his tray. After twenty minutes Mrs. Nakajima set down her dish towel, and said

"I'm going to go check in on Yuto, I'll be back before we need to cut the cake, alright?" Keito nodded, and returned to his pile of dirty dishes, now completely alone. He cleaned them in no time, and was drying off the counter when the kitchen door swung open, and he turned around to see Daiki walking toward him. What? That didn't make sense.

"What're you—" His question was interrupted when Daiki jogged the last few steps over to him, immediately wrapping his arms around Keito's waist, pulling him close and pressing their lips together. His hands fisted in the back of Keito's vest, and he slowly backed Keito into the counter, his lips moving softly against Keito's own. Eventually he broke the kiss, leaving Keito breathless, and when he pulled away Daiki pressed their foreheads together, their chests heaving as they caught their breath.

"That's what I wanted to do earlier." Daiki announced, and Keito smiled, flipping their positions and gently pinning Daiki to the counter, pushing their lips back together, his arms winding around Daiki's waist, and he picked him up, sitting the prince on the counter so that Daiki was now taller. Daiki took Keito's face in his hands, deepening the kiss, and lost in Daiki, Keito melted. Once they finally pulled apart Keito asked

"Don't you need to go back to the party?" Daiki shrugged, slipping down off of the countertop.

"I'd rather be here with you." The prince announced. He walked over to a huge bag of chocolate chips.

"Hey, wanna make cookies?" He asked. Keito grinned.

"Sure." He grabbed Daiki one of Mrs. Nakajima's hair clips from a drawer, pinning his hair back, and he found the only clean extra apron—a dark pink one that Daiki managed to make look adorable—and they were set. They cracked eggs and measured flour, pouring and mixing things until they had a huge bowl of batter. As they worked Keito found that Daiki was actually a pretty good cook, which he found surprising considering that the prince probably had never needed to cook for himself ever in his life. Once the dough was complete, Daiki ran an eager finger through the bowl, taking the finger into his mouth, smiling at the sweetness. Keito just pulled out a cookie sheet, spooning the dough into little balls and dropping them in neat rows. Daiki frowned.

"You're not going to eat any?" The prince asked. Keito shrugged.

"C'mon. It's really good!" Daiki said, sticking his finger through the bowl again, this time holding the sticky little mound up to Keito's lips. Blushing, Keito took the finger into his mouth, tongue wrapping around the digit, sucking the dough off. Daiki's cheeks had turned pink, and his eyes darted away from where they had been glued to Keito's face, traveling the room until they landed on the door of the kitchen. With a stuttered "One second." and a lingering kiss on the cheek, the short prince pulled himself away, striding over to the door and pushing it open.

Keito just grinned to himself, secretly happy by the way he had affected Daiki, the older boy taking up his thoughts as he finished spooning out the dough. He slid the trays of cookies into the various ovens, setting a timer, and then sighing at the sight of more dirty dishes, knowing that soiled china was going to take up a great deal of his evening. He stretched, taking off his own apron and fixing his clothes, when he spotted the bowl with the remnants of cookie dough still globbed along the inside, and an idea came to him. He went over to the kitchen door, peeking his head out, and saying

“Hey Dai-chan, I need help with…” The last part of his sentence stuck in his throat as he realized that Daiki wasn't alone. He was sitting on the ground next to a red faced Prince Inoo. Keito felt his body tense up, and he trailed off, embarrassed, his words dying, until he finished with a small “Hi.”

Daiki immediately gave him his full attention, a smile gracing his face as he asked

“What do you need?” At that Prince Inoo sighed, getting to his feet and grumbling slightly as he said

“I’ll tell you later.” to his brother, causing Keito to realize he had just disrupted an important conversation. Oops. It was at that moment that Mrs. Nakajima chose to return, immediately announcing

“We’re going to cut the cake soon. You’d both better get out there, your majesties. You too, Okamoto-kun—they’ll need more waiters.” Keito just nodded, and Daiki took his apron off, removing the clips from his hair, handing them to Keito. Mrs. Nakajima passed by Keito into the kitchen, and when Keito followed her to return the apron to it's hook he asked

"Can you watch the cookies we made?" Mrs Nakajima just smiled, and nodded, and he thanked her, tugging on the cuffs of his shirt before walking back out to the two prince brothers.

“I put the cookie dough in the oven. Mrs. Nakajima said that she would take care of them.” Keito told Daiki, shy about speaking in front of Prince Inoo. Daiki nodded, and secretly linked their pinkies together as they all walked back out into the ballroom. Once they pushed through the grand double doors however, Keito pulled away, joining the line of waiters waiting to pass out slices of cake, Daiki crossing the room to where the royalty were chatting, seamlessly falling into their conversation with a smile and a laugh that Keito could see, but not hear. Then, they cut the cake, and Keito was pulled back in to weaving his way through the fancy clothes and slightly drunk chatter, passing out plate upon plate of the princess' birthday cake. Time seemed to stand still in the brightly lit room, and the hour was indicated only by the weariness growing in Keito's bones, his arm beginning to ache from holding the tray, his eyes beginning to itch with sleep.

Gradually the crowd began to thin, and as it did Keito pulled back to the kitchen once more, eyes widening at the piles upon piles of plates and cutlery waiting to be washed and put away. He was snatched up by two other waiters-turned-dishwashers, and he placed himself on the cleaning duty section of the assembly line. Within half an hour the front of his vest and shirt were soaked through, and he discarded them, slipping them off and piling them in a soapy corner of the counter. They were already wet anyway. His tie he shoved hastily in his pocket, and he continued on with the dishwashing without a second thought to his clothing, or lack thereof. He washed dishes for around three hours, his fingers lagging as time breached the gap of late night into early morning. Finally, finally they put the last cup away with a clink, the sound ringing in finality. Keito leaned against the counter, sighing and rubbing his eyes. Suddenly, a cookie was pressed into his hand, and he looked up to see Mrs. Nakajima smiling at him.

"You did great tonight, Keito. And the cookies are delicious. Thanks for all the hard work." Keito just nodded, and she told him to go to bed. With a tired sigh he scooped his soiled clothes off of the counter and pushed through the kitchen door. He froze, his tired brain trying to come up with a reasonable explanation as to why Daiki was sitting there, fast asleep on the floor. He eventually gave up trying, instead he realized that the floor wasn't where the prince was supposed to sleep, and he carefully picked the older boy up, stuffing his wadded up clothes into the waistband of his pants, the cold fabric unpleasant on his skin. The prince was hard, his body nothing but muscles and the bony joints that were his knees and elbows, all wrapped up in his party clothes like the most perfect present. Keito had only taken a few steps when he felt fingers brush against his collarbones, and he looked down to see Daiki's eyes pull open, and it took a moment for the short prince to understand where he was.

"I fell asleep." Daiki muttered, his low voice throaty with sleep. Keito just smiled, and Daiki sighed.

"I wanted to wait for you....as a surprise....sorry." Keito began walking again, pulling Daiki closer to his chest as he did so, to keep from jostling him. He fought back a yawn, and whispered

"It's fine. I'm glad you thought of me." Daiki snuggled closer for a moment, before pulling back from Keito suddenly, flailing about and making him nearly drop the prince.

"Wh-why aren't you wearing a shirt?!" Daiki sputtered, face red. Oh yeah. He'd forgotten about the shirt.

"It got wet..." He explained, feeling that it was ridiculous once spoken out loud.

"Oh...okay..." Daiki paused, his eyes raking over Keito's collarbones and bare shoulders. "It's just...attention catching..." Keito didn't really know how to respond to that, so he stayed silent, continuing to walk through the corridors,

"I can walk you know." Daiki said, looking uncomfortable.

"Oh. Sorry." Keito mumbled, putting him down, trying to be careful. Daiki just adjusted his clothes, and yawned, the action evoking a mirrored response from Keito, and he rubbed at his eye blearily with one hand. Daiki just stood there, watching him.

"You're so amazing." The prince announced, and Keito felt the comment roll down his throat and nestle in the center cavity of his chest, and happiness rushed up, and he didn't know who started it, but it was the sweetest, most gentle, most caring kiss Keito had ever had. When he finally pulled away he couldn't keep the grin off of his face.

"Goodnight Keito." Daiki whispered.

"Goodnight, Dai-chan." Keito breathed back, and the prince smiled one last perfect smile, before leaving. Keito sighed contentedly, leaning back against the wall, his eyes fluttering shut for a moment.


	12. Chapter 12

"So. This is how you choose to disgrace me now?" Keito's eyes snapped open, the voice causing all of the joy that had been swirling in his stomach to dissolve immediately.

"D-dad...I..." The man was stepping out of the doorway Keito had chosen to slouch next to, and Keito recognized it as his office.

"How dare you. Disgusting." Were the last words Keito heard before a fist rammed into his stomach, causing him to hunch over, as pain ripped through his chest. But his father wasn't finished. Again and again the blows came, and Keito just attempted to shield himself with his arms, sliding further and further down the wall, until he was on the ground. His father’s eyes flashed, and with one final spiteful kick to Keito's ribs he left him there, muttering harsh words under his breath as he walked away. Tears streamed down Keito's face, and he was hot, blood rushing to too many areas all at once, and shaking he tried to get to his feet. He tried again. Again.

Finally, with the help of the wall he was standing, one arm wrapped around his burning torso. He wiped the snot off of his face, and he began to walk, slowly, carefully, he made his way down the corridor. Why had he been so stupid? He had known—known how his father was. Why hadn't he checked his surroundings before he had kissed Daiki? As small voice in his head protested that he shouldn't have to check who was looking before kissing his boyfriend, but he knew better. He cursed himself the whole way back to his room, his tears eventually turning into dry, shaking breaths. With a moan he curled up on top of his sheets, getting a few short hours before the sun rose, him rising with it.

He woke feeing sore. He hissed, wincing as he swung his legs over the side of the bed, pulling himself up and walking over to the mirror. When he caught sight of his reflection he groaned internally. His skin was beyond discolored. He was swollen, fist shaped rings of purplish-black decorated his torso, outlined in a nasty greenish-yellow, and Keito knew that tomorrow they were just going to look worse. He sighed, clearing his face from showing any expression as he found himself a loose, long sleeved tunic that hid his injuries, and wandered down to the kitchen. Mrs. Nakajima looked tired, but she set a bowl of soup down in front of him, and he sat down on one of the stools, unable to keep a grimace off of his face as he did so. She mistook the pain for exhaustion, and smiled saying

"Why don't you go back to bed after this, Keito? Take a break today, you've been working hard." He smiled, and thanked her, and she disappeared into the kitchen, leaving him to gulp down his soup. He finished quickly, turning and wandering through the halls, considering going out to the stable and taking a nap on the roof when he heard the ring of a sword. He turned, peeking in to the fencing practice room. His eyes caught on Daiki. The prince's legs were spaced, his knees bent, his arms drawn close, fists up. He was facing another boy, one Keito recognized as one of the Northern princes. Suddenly the boy lunged forward, his movement sharp, his fist missing Daiki's head as he ducked low, retaliating with a few punches of his own, just barely missing the other boys stomach. Their faces were serious, and Keito's thoughts flew to his own beating just the night before, fear flooding his body, his imagination projecting his bruises onto his boyfriend's body. Daiki couldn't—no.

"Stop!" He was yelling, running in between the two boys, and to his relief both froze.

“…Keito?” Daiki looked confused, blinking at him.

“Stop fighting.” He asked meekly, looking over Daiki's form for any sign of injury. Daiki just blinked, still calm and slightly puzzled.

“But Keito, I had him beat.” Daiki insisted. “Really.” He wasn't understanding. He didn't get it.

“I don’t want you to get hurt.” Confessing this in front of all of the other princes embarrassed him, and he found himself looking at his feet.

“We… We weren’t fighting.” The other boy spoke, and Keito glanced over at him. “Just playing around.” _Just playing around?! Really?_ He searched Daiki's eyes for the answer. The older boy nodded, opening his arms, and saying with a smile

“I’m fine, see?” Relief washed through him, and he pulled the prince in for a hug, burying his face in Daiki's neck, whispering

“Don’t scare me like that.” Hoping that Daiki would take him seriously, but Daiki laughed, and Keito's heart sank. The prince's hands patted him lightly on the back, and if he had done that yesterday Keito would have found it comforting, but today it was painful, and he couldn't help but wince as his palms hit Keito's hidden bruises. Keito pulled back, just as another boy, another Northern prince, walked in. Keito recognized him from when the group had come to wake up Daiki the other morning.

“I didn’t miss it, did I?” He asked, and caught Keito's attention. Miss what?

“Nope. They haven’t even started yet.” Prince Inoo informed the other boy. Keito finally took in what everyone else was doing, and he realized that Hikaru and Yabu-kun were both wielding swords, facing each other. Hikaru nodded to Prince Chinen, who shouted

“En garde!” The two young men ran at each other, their swords connecting with a clang. Keito's eyes widened. What were they doing?! He turned a questioning eye to Daiki, who caught the glance, and whispered

"Hikaru challenged Yabu-kun to a duel this morning, as a way of asking him out." The words didn't make any sense.

"...as a way of asking him out? I don't understand." Daiki nodded.

"Yeah. If Hika wins then Yabu has to go on a date with him." Oh. Wow. That was really brave of him. Keito turned his attention back to the match, wishing Hikaru the best of luck as he did so. It was nerve wracking, watching the two boys spar. They were both amazing, their speed and skill unlike any Keito had ever seen, and he held his breath as Hikaru drove Yabu-kun back farther and farther, until the older boys back was against the wall, and his sword fell to the floor in a clatter. Keito let out a sigh of relief. No one had gotten hurt. Daiki grabbed Keito's hand, pulling his attention away from the newly completed fencing match.

"Hey, how did the cookies from last night turn out?" Keito blinked, thinking.

"Mrs. Nakajima said they were good...I haven't had any yet, so..."

"Let's go try some!" Daiki announced, swinging their interlocked hands. Keito nodded, and together they left the rest of the royalty in the fencing practice room, wandering back to the kitchen. Yuto was there, a half eaten chocolate chip cookie in hand. He smiled when they walked in.

"Hey! These are great you guys. Want some?" The tall boy gestured, grinning to his cookie, and Keito smiled. Oh wonderful, simplistic, happy Yuto. He brought a huge basket of the cookies out, setting them down on the counter, and grabbing another one off of the top. Keito was wide eyed.

"How many...how many did we make?" He honestly couldn't remember. Yuto shrugged.

"There's another two baskets like this one in there, so I'd say...around two-hundred and fifty to two-seventy-five. Tons." Keito looked at the mountain of cookies, amazed. Who was going to eat nearly three hundred cookies? Daiki just plucked one from the basket, putting it in his mouth and holding it with his teeth, leaning in towards Keito, offering him the other end. Keito blushed, embarrassed, and pushed lightly on Daiki's shoulder, declining the offer and picking his own cookie out of the basket. Yuto just giggled. Soon comfortable small talk started, light-hearted conversation wandering through various topics, and Keito mostly listened, smiling, enjoying being with two of his favorite people in the world. It want long before Prince Inoo joined them, explaining that he had forgotten his shoes and was too lazy to go get them, the older prince joined them, slipping into the conversation with ease, snacking on cookies and laughing as the time passed. A good two hours flew by before their little group of four was interrupted, Prince Chinen's voice preceding the little boy, calling out

“We're back!” Keito and the other three welcoming him, just as he and another boy, the boy Daiki had been 'fighting' with earlier that morning, walked through the kitchen doorway, hand in hand. Keito's mind raced back to a memory weeks ago when Daiki had been telling him about the Northern princes, finally putting a name with the boys face. Ryutaro, the third prince of the northern family. From then on they didn't have to wait long as more and more royalty wandered in, until nearly all of them were crowded around the table, eating and chatting. Keito just listened, learning names and watching the way they all interacted, amazed by the friendliness and playful teasing. Eventually however, they began to discuss what they going to do for the rest of the day, and Keito began to feel uncomfortable, quietly removing himself from the room when Daiki wasn't looking, returning to his own bedroom.

As Prince Inoo's voice faded he let out a breath, truly relaxing for the first time since breakfast that morning, sighing and allowing the pain he felt to show on his face. Gently he peeled off his tunic, slowly bringing the fabric up and over his head, discarding it on the bed and examining his reflection in his mirror. It was amazing, just seeing the different colors that mapped his skin. There wasn't much of a difference between how they had looked this morning, only slight expansions from some of the ones that were healing, and he ran his fingers gently across his flesh, feeling the dips and rises under his fingertips, trying to measure the swelling. It had gone down, he thought.

His fingers had just trailed down to his abdomen when his door swung open, and he jumped, startled and going into panic mode, he snatched his tunic from the bed, trying to hide his mottled torso. It was too late. By the time he had done all of this and looked up to see who was at the door Daiki had already made his way halfway across the room, looking worried, eyes flashing with something close to anger.

"Keito, what are you hiding? Let me see." From his tone Keito could tell Daiki had already caught sight of the bruises, but he shook his head anyway, backing away as Daiki advanced, until his back hit the wall, and he winced at the contact.

"Keito...show me. Put the tunic down."_ No. Daiki couldn't find out. He couldn't— _Keito bolted, pushing past Daiki and out the door, running down hallways, pulling open doors and slipping through little known passages. As he ran he heard Daiki's footsteps pounding after him, and he was halfway down one of the little known back alleys when a hand gripped his forearm, forcing him to stop, spinning him around, and when Daiki's eyes met Keito's own he knew that the shorter boy had won. Daiki took the last few steps forward, and reached out, Keito allowing him to remove the clothing from his fingers. His arms fell limply to his sides, and humiliation washed over him as his gaze found the stone floor. His eyes flitted up through his bangs briefly, trying to gauge Daiki's reaction. The prince had a pained expression, his eyes traveling across Keito's torso, and when he spoke once more his deep voice was shaking slightly.

"Keito what happened to you? Did...did someone do this to you?" Keito didn't speak, unable to tell him, but unwilling to lie. The silence spoke for itself, and Daiki gently put his fingertips to Keito's skin, careful not to put any pressure as he brushed over the purple flesh.

"Who did this?" At his words Keito shook his head again, and Daiki let his hand drop, burying his face in his hands, the way a person does after hearing something upsetting.

"Daiki, its okay, I—"

"No. No it's not okay." He pulled his fingers away from his face. "Keito, this—" Daiki gestured to Keito's torso "is the farthest thing from okay." That shut Keito up. Daiki began with the questions again.

"When did it happen? Was it yesterday? You...you were fine last night, I remember! You were in perfect condition yesterday...we kissed, we said goodnight, and you didn't have any of this. Who...who could do this?!" There was a pause, and as if it had just occurred to him the prince asked hurriedly "Has this happened before?"

"No...not this badly...it's usually fine; I can handle it." Keito forced the words out, hoping that Daiki would accept them, knowing he wouldn't. There was a silence, and Keito could see Daiki thinking. A minute passed, and he asked meekly "Can...can I have my tunic back?" and as if broken from a trance Daiki blinked, and handed over the article of clothing. As Keito slipped it on the older boy asked

"Who did it?" The question was calm, and full of purpose, and Keito understood that Daiki had decided to do_ something._ He couldn't let that happen.

"I can't tell you." He mumbled, and Daiki argued, but he was adamant, and eventually, in hopes of stopping the insistence Keito asked

"Why does it matter so much?" That had the desired effect, Daiki falling silent. Keito leaned forward, planting a kiss on his boyfriend’s forehead. Daiki let out a breath, shutting his eyes, and Keito leaned down farther, planting a second kiss on Daiki's cheek.

"Keito, I—" Daiki stopped, as if whatever he had wanted to say was fighting back, the words stuck in his throat.

"I lo—" He stopped again, and instead of a third attempt he leaned forward, getting up on his tiptoes so that they were the same height, closing the gap between their lips. He pressed harder against Keito, and the passion in the kiss spoke the words Daiki couldn't._ I love you._ After a moment of surprise, comprehension set in, and Keito kissed back, the kiss growing hotter as Daiki teased his lips open. It was a little weird at first, his tongue tentatively probing Keito's mouth, but Keito found himself wrapping his arms around Daiki's waist, pulling him closer. The action pulled Daiki off balance, and they tipped backward, Keito's back pressing against the wall, Daiki's arms shooting out and catching himself, hands on either side of Keito's head. Keito broke the kiss, embarrassed.

"Sorry..." Daiki just grinned, and repositioned himself so that he was pinning Keito to the wall, leaning forward and kissing him again. As the kiss got deeper Daiki's left hand found the nape of Keito's neck, his fingers entwining into Keito's hair there. Keito didn't know when, or how, but his fingers had found the hem of Daiki's shirt, brushing under the fabric to feel the warm, smooth skin of his lower back. He wanted to explore it, to feel more of Daiki under his fingers. A small high pitched squeak broke the hazy bubble around Keito's world, and he opened his eyes as Daiki pulled away. One quick glance toward the direction of the noise sent him spiraling into extreme embarrassment. Prince Inoo, along with two northern princes, that Keito recognized as Price Takaki and Prince Shintaro, were all standing just a yard or two away, Prince Takaki's hands covering the youngest boy's eyes. They had seen them.


	13. Chapter 13

“Um… Hi.” Prince Inoo waved a little, awkward wave, and Keito found himself examining the stone blocks that made up the passage walls, unable to look the three in the face; the thought that he had just been caught....making out....by three members of the royal family making him almost nauseous with nervous humiliation.

“Ch-Chinen sent us to come get you.” Prince Takaki stumbled over the first word, still in shock from what he had seen, and Keito felt the nervous, mortified nausea beginning to make his stomach churn. Daiki stepped away from Keito, running a hand through his hair, fixing it, and he said in a shamelessly reluctant voice

“Oh. Did he really. I guess I’ll have to go then…”

“He said that Keito-kun could come too!” The youngest prince announced, his brother's hands still covering his eyes. Keito's head jerked up in surprise. Daiki too wasn't expecting the remark.

“Really?” Daiki asked, looking over at Keito, affection glowing in his eyes at the quick glance. Prince Inoo answered the question.

“Of course! Keito’s always welcome to hang out with us, Daiki. I thought you knew that.” The statement made Keito's eyes widen in surprise, but the most unexpected part was yet to come. Prince Inoo shook his head at his brother, before announcing “Him not being royal doesn’t mean anything.” Keito couldn't believe the sentence of acceptance. Daiki however, responded immediately.

“Well, duh.” The short prince allowed a protective edge into his first few words, as if challenging any of them to say that Keito's caste status did matter. “And I thought that you were trying to limit the crowd to the ones that went to Tomone.” The older prince just shook his head, and Daiki smiled a bit, turning back to Keito.

“D’you want to go horse riding with us?” He asked, and Keito froze up at the thought of hanging out with the royal princes.

“I… I don’t want to intrude.” He mumbled, but Daiki pouted, eyes growing wide, and he grabbed Keito's hand, swinging their interlocked fingers.

“You’re not intruding, you’re being invited.” Keito had to give in.

“Um… Okay.” Daiki broke out into a grin.

“Yay~”

“Mission accomplished!” The youngest boy announced, before gesturing to the hands that were still covering his eyes. “Now Takaki, could you…?” His brother pulled the hands away, and Daiki lead Keito down the hallway to where the other boys were standing, and together they all exited the passage, Keito following behind the princes, attempting to become invisible as they made their way to the royal family's stable, where the others were all standing around, their horses reins loose in their hands. As they approached Hikaru waved, and yelled

"Did ya get them?" Shintaro waved back, flashing a thumbs up, and Hikaru smiled. They reached the cluster of royal boys, and Daiki passed through with multiple "Hello."'s and fond claps on the back, to the far end of the stable to retrieve his horse. Keito's eyes scanned the stalls, noting the lack of equine. As if reading his mind, Hikaru slipped the reins of his horse's bridle between Keito's fingers. Keito looked over at him, surprised and confused.

"Here, you ride him." Hikaru's grin grew wider at Keito's dumbfounded expression. Keito looked up at the huge bay stallion, the animal stunning with bright blue eyes that emitted curiosity; the horse couldn't have been more than four years old.

"I—" Keito barely got one word out before Hikaru's hand covered his mouth.

"Keito, don't. Don't protest because you feel unworthy. Don't apologize for being a so called 'burden'. Don't act all shy." He pulled his hand away, and Keito cast his eyes down to his feet, slightly embarrassed by Hikaru's pep talk. As he did he felt a strong powerful nudge on the back of his neck, and he nearly fell over, stumbling and catching himself inches from Yabu-san's chest, looking up apologetically at the tall, skinny young man. Hikaru laughed, and announced

"Yuujiro likes you." The horse, Yuujiro, nickered as if in agreement. Yamada grinned, patting him on the nose, and he took the reins, motioning for Keito to hop up on Yuujiro's back, the horse falling still as soon as Keito approached it's side, as if trying to make it easier for him. He swung himself on just as Daiki led his horse, fully tacked, up to the group. Within minutes they were off, not that they went much of anywhere. They just wandered listlessly, chatting and enjoying the sunshine. To Keito's surprise, Prince Yamada and Yuto took the lead, talking and laughing up ahead of everyone. Keito watched his friend laugh, and smiled, wondering just how long it would take for the prince to fall in love with Yuto. Hopefully not too long. He was broken out of his train of thought by a voice on his right.

"So....you and Daiki, huh?" He looked over to see Prince Takaki next to him, his horse's pace matching Keito's own. The prince was talking to_ him_. Oh god. Keito felt his voice slither down his throat, so he made due with a nod.

"How long have you two been together?" That question not only required actual thought, it required a verbal answer. Keito ran through the days in his head. It had felt like a very long time, but in reality it had only been—

"About a month." He attempted to speak clearly, despite his nervousness at talking to a prince from another country—as if talking to one from his own wasn't bad enough. The older boy smiled, patting Keito on the shoulder.

"Congratulations, that's really great."

"Thank you...sorry about...earlier." He could feel himself blushing, and as the prince was about to respond another voice cut in

"Don't apologize for being in love. Besides, you've been together for a while, and it's not like that was the first time we'd ever seen people kissing." Keito looked around to see Prince Shintaro grinning, urging his pony to keep up with their much larger horses. Prince Takaki laughed at his brother's remarks, and Prince Shintaro tacked on

"You should have seen Ryu and Chii-chan on their first date. If Ryu had known I was there he never would have—"

"If I had known what? Are you talking about me, Shin?!" Prince Ryutaro yelled over his shoulder, where he and Prince Chinen had been chatting, riding shoulder to shoulder.

"No!" Prince Shintaro yelled back, and Prince Takaki burst into giggles, throwing his head back and laughing. The laughter drew Prince Inoo's attention, and he cut off his conversation with Daiki, quickly stealing the northern prince's attention. This left Keito open, and Daiki snatched the opportunity to pull him into their own conversation. Soon however, the shadows grew long, and people began to grow hungry. It was Hikaru that finally made the decision that they should turn around. Hikaru had been sitting behind Yabu-san the whole time, as Keito was riding his horse, so even though he had been the one to make the decision to turn around, he couldn't instigate it himself. The mob all began to swing back toward home when Prince Yamada announced

"Yuto-kun and I are going to stay out a bit longer, you go on without us." Keito caught his friends eye, and sent him a discreet thumbs up. Yuto grinned and responded in kind. Having shown his support, Keito nodded and turned back around, following the rest of the royalty back to the castle. Just as they entered on cue Princess Ayaki was there, flinging herself onto Prince Takaki, wrapping her arms around him.

"Oh, I have been waiting for you to return! You made it just in time for dinner, I saved you a spot, right next to me~" Keito was taken aback. He had never seen the princess act like that. She was usually so...haughty. So...demanding and self-righteous. Now she was swooning and needy. So strange. The princess took Prince Takaki by the arm, dragging him down the hall toward the royal dinning room. The rest began to follow her, Daiki pausing for a hug and a quick kiss before running to catch up with his family. Then, Prince Chinen turned around.

"Keito, will you come swimming with us tomorrow?" Not knowing what else to do, Keito nodded, and the little prince grinned, waving before turning back around. Keito watched them go before slipping back to the servants area of the castle, joining the masses eating dinner. It was only after he had returned to his room when he realized his mistake. He'd said he would go swimming with the princes tomorrow, but...he pulled off his shirt, and sucked in his breath in surprise. The bruises had bloomed and spread, the realigning process extending the rings of purples and reds, until they overlapped, and it almost looked like a vividly colored camouflage pattern.

He didn't want to come up with some excuse as to why he couldn't go, but he wouldn't let anyone else find out about his injuries. The only one that knew was Daiki...he would talk to Daiki about it! He went through the kitchen, putting some cookies and milk on a tray (as an excuse if anyone caught him wandering around at that time of night) and without further ado he made the trek to Daiki's bedroom. He tapped gently on the door, and within seconds the handle turned and Daiki pulled it open, a warm grin blooming across his face as his eyes swept over Keito with the tray in his hands. He pulled the door open wider, stepping aside and welcoming Keito in.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" Daiki asked, half sincere, half joking in his princely charm. Keito grinned and stepped inside, offering Daiki a cookie from the tray. Daiki took one, gesturing for Keito to set the tray down on a little side table. Keito did, and Daiki pulled him into a hug from behind. Keito winced, involuntarily jerking away as Daiki's body put pressure on the bruises. Daiki jumped back, and Keito mentally whacked himself.

"Sorry." They both muttered, simultaneously. Daiki however, continued on with his apology. "I forgot about the bruises. It's my fault." Keito entwined their fingers, pressing a kiss to the older boy's forehead.

"It's okay. Besides, I forgot too..." he explained himself with a question. "What am I going to when we go swimming tomorrow?" Daiki looked over his torso, as if examining the bruises through his shirt.

"Do you have to keep it a secret?" He asked, and Keito bit his lip, sending Daiki a look. _Yes_. Daiki sighed, running his fingers over the collar of Keito's shirt, fingering the fabric, barely teasing the skin underneath.

"Okay...just...well...we have three options. First, you could not go. We'd need a good lie though. Second, you could go, and just wear dark colored things; there's lots of horseplay when we visit the lake though, and I don't want you to get hurt." He sent a cautionary glance up into Keito's eyes. "Or you could come and not swim. We could say you'd sprained your ankle, or you didn't know how, or something." As he talked Daiki pulled Keito over to his bed, sitting comfortably on the edge, and Keito thought over the options. None were very favorable.

"I'll just swim in a long shirt. It'll be fine." He decided, and Daiki frowned.

"Prince Chinen invited me, I can't decline. And I don't want to lie. Besides...I'll be okay." He ran a hand gently across Daiki's collarbones up to the back of his neck, soothing him slightly. The prince sighed, putting Keito's fingertips to his lips, kissing them lightly. Keito gently sat down on the bed next to him, and placed a gentle kiss on Daiki's lips, pulling away when Daiki tried to deepen the kiss. Daiki blinked at him, surprise at the rejection coloring his face. Keito stood, saying

"I have to go..." He took a step toward the door, and Daiki too stood, grabbing his arm, stopping him.

"Please...stay." There was want in Daiki's voice, and the sound sent heat trickling down Keito's spine, lower and lower and—he forced the feeling down, willing his body to calm...but he hesitated, and Daiki pulled him around, lips meeting Keito's own, and Keito wanted to give in to the sensations, but...Daiki was moving so quickly...he pulled back, breaking the kiss, and he muttered

"Can...can we slow down?" The older boy looked up into his eyes, and for a moment Keito was afraid that Daiki would be upset...but then an affectionate, glowing smile graced the short prince's face, and he nodded, entwining their fingers and getting up on his tiptoes to give Keito a kiss on the forehead. Keito gently put their lips together, and smiled into the kiss, as he felt and sensed how hard Daiki was trying to make sure he wasn't feeling pressured. He pulled Daiki into a hug, burying his face into the crook of Daiki's neck, enveloping him. Daiki was perfect.

"I love you." He whispered, the phrase honest; and as it fell from his lips he felt the words weight hanging between them. Daiki stepped back, pulling his arms from where they had been wrapped around Keito's shoulders to hang loosely from his neck. Keito felt his little fingers playing with the hair there, and they took each other in for a moment, before Daiki said quite clearly

"I love you too."

By the time Keito finally made it down to the servant area of the castle it was late into the night, and he was tired, yawns escaping his pursed lips. As he neared the kitchen he was startled to hear the sounds of murmured voices, and he peeked his head through the door to see Yuto and Prince Yamada sitting side by side on the kitchen counter, half eaten cookies in their hands. As Keito watched, the short prince leaned over, his eyes fluttering shut as he boldly pressed his lips to Yuto's own. Keito had to clamp a hand over his mouth to keep himself from squealing. When the prince pulled away Yuto looked over at him with questions in his eyes, and Keito heard Prince Yamada whisper

"Yuto-kun...you're amazing...I...I _really_ like you." Keito slapped his other hand on top of the fingers already covering his mouth, just to be safe. His mind was reeling._ Yes!_ Yuto took his time leaning forward, delivering his own kiss, before pulling back and whispering

"I really like you too." Excitement for his friend rose in his chest, but with it came the fear of being caught spying. He doubled back, going out of his way to avoid the kitchen on the way back to his bedroom. He reached his bed, and, brain hazy with sleep, he slipped off his clothes, crashing into the mattress and just barely managing to slip under the covers before drifting off, a smile on his lips.


	14. Chapter 14

He woke to half of the royal family standing in his bedroom, the room filled with a warm light that proclaimed that early morning had come and gone, and he pulled the covers up to his neck, immediately self conscious as he realized that he had neglected to throw on anything in the way of clothing, and was now naked in bed in front of all of them. Daiki was sitting on the edge of his bed, and he turned toward his brothers, annoyance creeping into his tone.

"There, you got to see just how adorable he is when he's asleep. Satisfied?" Keito glanced around at the princes faces, letting the sentence sink in. Prince Chinen pouted, but they got the hint and they filed out the door with warm "Good morning."'s to Keito as they passed. Keito blinked, trying to comprehend the strange way to begin the day, his attempts being put on hold when Daiki pressed their lips together for a gentle kiss. Slowly Keito sat up, both of them adjusting, Keito allowing the sheet to fall from his torso as he did so. The movement shot pain through his abdomen, and he remembered his bruises. He pulled away, wincing, and Daiki cringed as his eyes opened and he caught sight of Keito's chest. He sat back, examining the damage, and Keito fiddled with the edge of the sheets, fingers trailing the hem, and he wished he could just get up and go look for himself, but...his nudity stopped him. He felt himself flushing as he realized his how provocative of a situation they were in, and it was kind of...appealing...or it would have been if he wasn't so embarrassed. Daiki's eyes caught on his face, and he leaned forward and gave him a chaste, gentle kiss, saying

"How about you throw on some clothes and we'll catch the others, okay?" Keito nodded, but didn't move, and Daiki frowned.

"What's up?"

"I...I'm..." His voice dropped to his quietest, most embarrassed mumble ".....naked." He watched Daiki's expression morph as the older boy let the words sink in. They both stared at each other, Daiki's eyes sweeping across Keito's hidden lower half, up to his face.

"Oh." There was something in his voice, a repressed heat, just barely suggested that sent beads of warmth down Keito's chest, and they stared at each other for a moment, before Daiki slowly stood up, walking over to the door and saying in his low voice

"Call for me when you're ready." Before slipping out. Keito ran his hands through his hair, mentally whacking himself before he swung out of bed, the air hitting his warm, bare skin in a wave. He shivered, going over to his mirror. Today they were uglier than yesterday. The swelling was gone, but the bruises had bloomed overnight into huge purple stains, as if God's pen had kept dripping ink when he had sketched out Keito's form. He quickly found a black long-sleeved tunic and slipped it on over some loose pants that cut off right at his knees. He sighed, and said

"You can come back in." The door swung back open, an awkward air swooping in as the hinges creaked ever so slightly.

"Let's go meet up with the others. They're helping Mrs. Nakajima prepare snacks..."

As it turned out when they got there, the snacks had already been completed, and soon they were swept to the stable, everyone mounting their horses in a bustle of chit-chat. Keito caught Yuto's eye, and once they were on the way he caught his horse up to his friend, and said

"Tell me all about it." At the words Yuto blushed, and attempted feigning ignorance, muttering "Tell you all about what?" the attempt failing miserably when Prince Yamada looked over his shoulder, catching Yuto's eye and giving him a discreet wink. Keito raised his eyebrows skeptically, and Yuto sighed, allowing a grin to sweep across his face.

"He is amazing, Keito. Just amazing." With little coaxing Yuto launched into the story, filling Keito in on all of the details of his alone time with Prince Yamada up to the kissing in the kitchen. The swooning and giggling lasted all the way to the lake, Yuto and Keito parting ways when they reached the small body of water, Keito helping prepare the blanket for the picnic lunch, while Yuto helped Prince Yamada with the horses. Once they had finished they all just stood around the edge of the lake, everyone staring at each other.

"This is when one of us jumps in." Yabu declared, and Prince Hikaru grinned, mischief blooming in his smile.

"Yeah. You." He told his boyfriend, picking him up deftly and throwing him in. Yabu shrieked in protest, flailing about ungracefully as his lanky body hit the water with a splash. Everyone burst out laughing, watching as Yabu came to the surface before throwing off their shirts and jumping in after him. Keito eyed the pile of garments lying on the grass, the last one left standing on the edge. He felt obligated to remove his shirt, and a fear of his secret being discovered overwhelmed him momentarily, and he panicked.

"Do I need to drag you in like last time, Keito?" Daiki was wading through the water, closer and closer. His voice was teasing, joking and light, but his eyes were serious, the message simple._ Trust me_. The shorter boy grabbed Keito by the hand, pulling him sharply into the water, making him lose his balance. He caught him with loose, gentle arms, careful not to grab him and steady him, keeping his injuries from being aggravated. The other boys whooped and cheered, ruffling Keito's hair, and Keito sighed, glancing down at his now soaked tunic in relief. Daiki pressed a wet kiss to his cheek, and he allowed himself a smile, quickly being swept up in the splashing and yelling. As the time passed he gradually let the concern about his bruises fade from the forefront of his mind.

"Hey Keito, catch!" Prince Takaki had little Prince Chinen in his arms, and as Keito turned around he threw the small boy in Keito’s direction. Caught off guard, he barely had time to open his arms before the young prince's body went barreling into his chest. His arms snapped around the tiny frame, and he heard a shriek of laughter escape Prince Chinen's lips. A wash of relief ran over Keito at the noise, but the force of the little boy had caused pain to ripple through his chest, and he clenched his eyes shut, willing the tears burning at the corners of his eyes not to overflow. He set the young prince back down in the lake, fighting the urge to double over. His eyes were still shut, and he tried taking deep breaths, listening as the other boys chattered on happily in the background. He cracked his eyes open to find Daiki already by his side, his body discreetly blocking Keito’s hunched form from the other boys, his warm brown eyes burning with concern.

"This was a bad idea." He announced, and Keito shook his head in disagreement, trying to get the grimace off of his face.

"No. You're too hurt. C'mon." Daiki was insistent, and before Keito got the chance to argue Daiki took his hand, pulling him toward the edge of the lake while announcing " Keito and I are going to take a break and eat lunch!" over his shoulder. Keito followed behind dumbly, allowing himself to be dragged to the edge where they got in, his chest throbbing despite the cool soothing water of the lake. He was distracted from his pain however, when Daiki pulled himself out of the water, his muscular arms flexing, as he lifted his lean, pale torso out of the water, droplets tracing down his shoulders and back. Keitos mouth went dry, and he felt a growing warmth arousing his body. Daiki simply pulled himself to his feet, Keito stiffly following after him, forcing his body out of the water and onto the grass, his wet clothes sticking to his frame, water flowing off of the fabric in little waterfalls. Daiki linked their hands together, leading Keito back to the tree under which the group had spread their picnic lunch, and Keito paused once they had reached the cloth, but Daiki continued, pulling him around the large trunk so that they were hidden from the boys still in the lake. He turned around, back just barely brushing the the trunk of the tree, to face Daiki. He became aware of his deep breathing, and he wiled himself to stop, knowing it gave away the pain swelling and falling in his chest.

"You shouldn't have come. It's too dangerous...I'm sorry. How are you doing?" Daiki's words tumbled out of his throat, chasing each other. The worry was comforting, but Keito didn't want Daiki to blame himself.

"Calm down, I'm okay. It's all okay."

"No it's not, it's—" Keito didn't want to argue about his own wellbeing. He put his hands on Daiki's shoulders, pulling the shorter boy in for a kiss, cutting off the protests. When he pulled back Daiki sighed, and they slumped comfortably against each other, bodies warm and shoulders perfect for nestling their noses in. They stood there for a moment, listening to the sounds of splashing water and excited yells coming from the lake, before Daiki pulled back, interlocking their fingers and looking up into Keito's eyes.

"Want to eat lunch?" He offered, and Keito smiled, following him back to the blanket, and they sat together, the time reminding Keito of their first date in the royal garden. They chatted and fed each other, listened to the others and watched them splash and swim. But this time there was a new feeling in the air; a new awareness that had him attuned to every rise and fall of Daiki’s chest, every slight shift of his body. He felt Daiki’s eyes watching him, the underlying tension unwavering, and he felt Daiki’s lips on the back of his neck, and he blushed, shifting away slightly. _What was Daiki doing? They were right—_

"Hey guys!" The yell made Daiki jump back, and Keito's head jerked up to see Prince Ryutaro pulling himself out of the lake, Princes Chinen, Yamada, and Takaki on his heels.

"We're hungry too, did you eat everything?" Prince Takaki asked from a distance, and Daiki huffed slightly, annoyed with the interruption. Keito ran a thumb over his forearm, soothing him, and Daiki turned his attention to the other boys coming their way.

"Nope—do you really think we're that rude?" He had mock offense in his voice that immediately was understood, and was met with a playful

"Well I don't know about rude, but we saw how much you ate at dinner last night..." Prince Ryutaro piped up, and the comment brought smiles to everyone's faces, while Daiki just rolled his eyes, offering them the food basket when they sat down, the movements sending cold droplets of water flying onto the uncovered skin of Keito's arms and face. Only a few more minutes later Yuto, Prince Inoo, and Prince Shintaro emerged from the lake to join them on the blanket, leaving only Hikaru and Yabu in the water. The blanket got chatty, and Keito listened to the other boys talk, noticing the way Prince Yamada grinned when Yuto's hand brushed his, and holding back a smile of his own. _That was adorable_.

He turned back to the basket, looking for the fruit and his eyes caught on the two boys left in the lake. Hikaru and Yabu were wrapped around each other, eyes shut and lips locked, their wet torsos indefinitely close. Keito froze, caught unawares, and he tried to be subtle as he turned back around. Within seconds however, some of the others noticed, and an awkward air enveloped them. Eventually, Prince Takaki wolf-whistled, causing Yabu to open his eyes, and the older boy jerked back, flailing about in an attempt to regain his balance before crashing through the water and submerging himself completely. Everyone burst into laughter, and the awkwardness was resolved, Yabu and Hikaru coming up out of the water to join them on the blanket, shoving Prince Takaki jokingly once they had emerged from the lake.

No one ever did get back in the water. There was some napping, a few of the boys entangled into a wrestling, tickling mass, and light, quality conversation filled the rest of the day. Keito learned a lot about the other boys, and they all insisted he drop the formal titles when speaking to them. At around four o'clock they decided to start heading back to the castle, packing up their picnic things and mounting their horses, their bodies long since dried from the sun. The ride back felt long, and everyone was glad when the castle came back into view, Yamada and Ryutaro instigating a race that sent everyone charging pell-mell to the stable. To no one’s surprise Yamada won, and the short boy grinned at his success, Yuto's congratulatory hug when the others were untacking their mounts making him only grin bigger. Keito was exhausted, unable to suppress yawn after yawn, but when they asked for him to hang out with them up in Prince Inoo's room he couldn't refuse. He excused himself, returning back to his own bedroom, changing out of his clothes that still smelled like the lake and into some fresh ones, before rejoining the group, but it wasn't long before he fell asleep in a corner on the floor.

Keito woke to discomfort. His whole body felt sore and tender, and when he opened his eyes he found himself on an unfamiliar back, being carried somewhere. He remained limp and still, pretending to still be asleep, and he listened to the hushed voices, realizing that there was a group of them accompanying his carrier. A northern prince—Ryutaro—was talking.

"...he's always so quiet, it's kinda funny that they're together because Daiki always seems to just speak his mind while he keeps everything to himself."Prince Ryutaro was talking about _him._

"I noticed that too." Prince Takaki's voice was close, and the body underneath him moved with the sound. It was then that Keito realized who was carrying him. Takaki stopped, pulling Keito up higher onto his back, the motion putting a sudden pressure on Keito’s bruises, and it took everything he had not to react to the pain.

"Careful now. Remember Daiki was adamant about being gentle with him." Prince Yamada's voice piped up, and at the sound of Daiki's name Keito’s curiosity was piqued.

"That was kinda amusing. He was really serious about that."

"Yeah, I know...it's not like we're going very far with him, just down the hall, and it wasn't like I was going to roughhouse with him on my back." Takaki said, slightly huffy, and there was the sound of a door opening, and Keito heard the change in the footsteps go from carpet to wood and back to carpet in a short range. Keito barely had time to register this fact, and begin to comprehend what it meant before he found himself being lowered onto a bed. Unsure of how to act he just went limp, trying not to catch or adjust himself, despite the awkward angle, his legs hanging halfway off of the edge.

"There." Takaki announced.

"He's going to fall! Here, let's adjust him..." Prince Shintaro’s voice chimed in, a pair of hands grabbing the backs of his calves and scooting them onto the bed. The hands let go, and the young prince announced

"That's better."

"He's out cold, I couldn't have slept through that." Takaki murmured, sounds of agreement coming from the other boy's mouths. There were sounds of shuffling footsteps, and a door swinging shut, and Keito was left alone. He popped his eyes open, finding himself in a royal prince's bedroom. He sat up, his bruises still throbbing where Takaki had been gripping him, and scanned the room, recognizing it as Daiki’s. He propped himself back on his elbows, looking up at the canopy, eyes wandering the dark fabric, and the next thing he knew he was being woken up by a gentle hand on his cheek. It was still night, but the sound of a light rain was audible, and Daiki was standing by the bed, looking amazingly handsome as always. Keito sat up, immediately spouting an apology, which Daiki brushed off just as fast. Daiki sat on the side of the bed, eyes wandering over Keito's face, before a long, large yawn overtook him, and he opened his mouth wide, scrunching up his face before leaning forward to bury his nose into Keito's neck. As he was doing this all Keito could think about was just how kissable Daiki looked, just how perfect.

Keito moved without thinking, turning his head to catch Daiki's lips with his own, pulling him forward onto the bed, wanting to feel Daiki close to him, feel his body there. He felt sparks as their lips moved together, and Keito carefully pushed Daiki down onto the bed, letting his lips trail down from his lips to his neck, his hands finding Daiki's hips as they moved, thumbs brushing soft skin stretched over taught muscle. Daiki too had a hand on Keito's hip, his other entwined in Keito's hair. Keito trailed kisses back up Daiki's neck, lips connecting once more, and he had never experienced something that felt so good as kissing Daiki did right then. They pulled back for air, and Daiki let out a low moan, before shutting his eyes and taking a deep breath.

"Keito," Daiki's low voice was rough with pleasure "this is amazing...but if we don't stop soon...I won't be able to stop." Keito froze, the intensity with which Daiki was looking at him scaring him slightly. Daiki took his hand from where it had snaked under Keito's shirt and used it to lift himself up, giving Keito a sweet, short, gentle kiss, so unlike the ones from just seconds before.

"You aren't ready." He whispered, running butterfly kisses down Keito's neck before wrapping his arms around him in a tight hug, and sharing a simple 'I love you.' They snuggled up, and Keito was just thinking that he really needed to go to sleep for real when he remembered that he was still in Daiki's bed. Dang it! He sighed, getting up. Daiki let out a moan of complaint.

"I have to go to bed. I'm sorry..." He leaned down, planting a small kiss on Daiki's now pouting lips "good night Dai-chan."

"Goodnight Keito..." Daiki mumbled, and Keito smiled an exhausted smile, before padding down to his own cold bed in a daze, crashing into the mattress and passing out at once.


	15. Chapter 15

He woke to a crash. It startled him, and he jolted up in bed, eyes wide. There was a low rumble, like a large beasts stomach was growling, and his eyes flitted over to the window. It was dark, the sky a deep gray, and rain was beating furiously against the glass, obscuring any comprehensible view. The sun was nowhere in sight, and he had no clue as to what time of the day, or night, it was. There was a flash of lightning, and his room went white for a moment, before returning to its previous darkness. He swung himself out of bed, quickly changing into new clothes and padding out the door, down the hall, his bare feet cold on the wet cobbled stone floor.

To his surprise there was a large group of servants running frantically back and forth, and after a moment he realized that they were retrieving all of the laundry from the clotheslines outside. He immediately joined them, pushing open the door to the courtyard, the ran beating harshly against his body as he ran with the others out to the lines, grabbing bundles of garments and sheets and yanking them from where they were whipping in the wind, stuffing them into his arms before following the others back into the castle, running through corridors to the large practice room the Princes used to fence. A group of maids were setting up lines, stringing them across the room. There was a pile of wet fabric in the corner. He placed his with the rest, before turning back and running outside to get another load. On his fifth run, just as he was coming in from the rain, he heard his name being called

"Keito?!" His head whipped around, and as he crossed the threshold into the dry corridor he felt a hand on his forearm. It was Daiki.

"What's going on?! Why are you guys out there? It's terrible out there!" Daiki was wide eyed, looking confused.

"It's raining. We need to get the laundry." Keito told him, adjusting the dripping clothes in his arms and beginning to back up, toward the direction of the fencing practice room.

"But it's not safe!" Daiki was adamant.

"It's okay. We need to get the laundry." Keito told him before turning around and running back down the hall, following the trail of water left on the floor to the practice room, returning just as quickly. Daiki was still there, waiting for him.

"This is madness. Stay inside." Daiki said, and Keito shook his head.

"I have to help them." He opened the door, rain pouring in. Daiki reached out, taking a step forward, but Keito looked down at him, not wanting Daiki to go out there.

"Stay." He said, before taking off back into the rain, not giving Daiki a chance to argue. When he got back, Daiki wasn't there. Once they had gotten all of the clothes in they began hanging them up, a process that took much longer than Keito had expected. By the time they had finished it was almost lunch time. Despite this he was still dripping wet, his clothes clinging to him, his hair in his eyes, dripping down his chin. He sighed, tired, wet, cold, and hungry, and with the others slowly made his way back to his room. There waiting for him was a towel and some thick, fancy looking clothes that he knew belonged to some royal family members. A note was left of top of it all.

_Keito—these are for you. Come meet us in the library once you're all finished, okay? I love you._ A grin grew on his face, and without a moment’s hesitation he peeled off his wet clothes, laying them out on the stone floor, and scrubbed himself with the towel, trying to use the friction to heat up his cold damp skin. Once his body was dry he moved up to his hair, throwing the towel over his head and rubbing and scratching at his hair through the thick fabric, working the water into it and off of his head. Once he was satisfactorily dry he slipped on the dry clothes, and he immediately found that they were thick and warm, fitting him very well. He wandered up to the second story, finding the royal library and making his way to the back where sure enough all of the royal princes and their guests were sitting around a crackling fire, Yuto curled up next to Prince Yamada, with trays of food sitting around the carpeted floor, everyone eating and chatting. Daiki immediately stood, eyes wandering over Keito's body and he asked

"Are you okay?" Keito was confused.

"Yeah, of course." Daiki grinned, murmuring

"Good." and leaning in for a kiss. Keito panicked slightly. Should they really kiss here, right now, in front of everyone? He pulled back slightly, and Daiki got the hint, awkwardly drawing back.

"You gonna let him eat?" Hikaru called from his perch on the arm of the couch. Daiki blushed, and he too Keito's hand, pulling him to where the rest were sitting. Yuto handed him a plate full of food, and Keito dug in, listening to the chatter. Yabu sighed.

"What are we going to do today? We can't go outside..."

"Oh! Inoo, you should play piano for us! Piano goes good with the rain!" Chinen declared, and Inoo raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"That's silly Chii."

"Awww....please? We could listen to you play, and we could....draw! I have lots of paper! I'll take it down to the music room. C'mon!” He grabbed Prince Ryutaro's hand, pulling the younger boy to his feet, and the two flounced out of the room. They all watched them go, and after a moment Takaki said

"It sounds like we don't have much of a choice. Where's the music room?" He stood, the rest following suit, and they moved in a mass through the halls to the second floor, pushing open a large polished wooden door to see a huge open space, instruments in their cases or out and ready circling the room, and a grande piano in the center, it's lid propped open, ready for use. They all stood there by the door for a moment, before Chinen came up behind them, brushing past, his arms full of papers and pens and ink, and he walked out to the middle of the floor, spreading his arms contents about the once clear surface, and beckoning them over. They all gathered in a circle, plopping down on the floor, and Prince Inoo took to the piano, a light, calm tune pouring from his fingers. Keito sat there, listening to the ever constant sound of the rain pounding into the roof over their heads, and Prince Inoo's music, and he felt at peace, despite being surrounded by royalty he found himself comfortable, and he took his designated page, sketching the scene, all of them in the music room, and he got lost in his picture, time whirring by, rushing past in the music and occasional whispers of the other boys, and he was drawn out of it when Prince Ryutaro nudged his shoulder, catching his attention.

"That's really good." The comment had him blushing of embarrassment, and he murmured a little

"Thank you." He looked around. Everyone else had finished, their pages scattered all over the floor, and they were doing quiet things so as to not disrupt Inoo; playing hand games and poking each other, or, in Prince Shintaro's case, napping. Daiki had his head resting on Keito's back, and he was humming softly the tune Inoo was playing on the piano. Keito's eyes found Daiki's picture. The prince had written a capital letter D and a capital K in English, and then decorated the negative space. Keito grinned. He had once tried to teach Daiki the English alphabet, but all the prince had remembered were the two letters their names started with. As he contemplated this, Inoo let his hands drop from the piano keys, saying

"I'm done! My hands are worn out. And I've been through all of my happy sounding pieces. So unless you want get into the depressing and angry I have nothing left to offer." He stood, some of the others following his lead, and soon Daiki was helping Keito to his feet, Keito slipping Daiki's drawing under his arm before they left, vowing to attach it to his wall in some manner. Daiki slipped their fingers together as they followed the group up to Prince Hikaru's room, where the future king pulled out chess and checkers boards. Soon a tournament began, Yabu drawing up a little score sheet, and Keito made it to the third round before losing to Prince Hikaru. The games kept them entertained all the way to dinner, and when Keito made to go his separate way Daiki pulled him close, surprising him with a sudden, passionate kiss that took his breath away. The other boys all whistled and giggled, and KeiTo left with an amazing blush on his cheeks and a discreet grin on his face.

The next day continued much as its predecessor had, the storm still strong. Keito and Yuto were 'requested' by the mob of princes, and therefore spent another day in their company. The day after however, the skies cleared, and the servants went into full repair mode, everyone able being assigned duties. Keito was put into a group of strong looking guys, and their job was to drag the fallen trees to a woodpiles and chop them into firewood. It was difficult, and his bruises just made things worse, but it was rewarding, and he felt useful. He went in for dinner sore, with tired muscles and splinters in his hands, but he had a sense of self satisfaction that physical work always brings, and he found himself smiling when he sat down next to Yuto. Yuto had been assigned the task of running—delivering messages and supplies all over the castle all day. He was halfway through a story about getting a hammer to the group working on the roof when Keito’s mother tapped him on the shoulder.

"Keito, have you seen your father?"

"No, I haven't seen him all day." At that she frowned, and worry crept into her voice.

"I sent him out with a shopping list this morning and he's still not back...and it's getting late."

"We can go look for him." Yuto piped up, and his mom smiled gratefully.

"Thanks boys."

With that he and Yuto stood, returning their dishes to the kitchen for washing, and exiting. As they walked, Yuto said

"So, where do you think we should look?" Keito thought about it. Where would his dad be?

"Let's go by his office really quickly, and if he's not there then we'll split up...you cover the north side and I'll cover the south side, and we can meet at the front entrance." Keito proposed. Yito nodded, stating

"It's an adventure!" with a lighthearted grin. Keito couldn't help but smile back. However to Keito’s surprise his father’s office was empty, and he and Yuto went their separate ways, each wandering their own half of the castle, searching for his father. He was starting to get slightly concerned. He'd thought for sure that his father would be in his office. He wandered the ground floor, and then the second floor, and then the third without any human contact, much less his father. Once he had arrived at the front entrance he found Yuto sitting in front of the main doors, playing with his bangs idly. Keito was on his way down the steps when he tripped, and the next few seconds were disoriented, painful, and slightly scary, and the next thing he knew he was in a pile at the bottom of the stairs, Yuto running over.

"KEITO?! Are you okay?!" Keito just blinked up at him, trying to regain himself. He felt his already bruised flesh throbbing where he had hit himself on the stairs as he had toppled down. He groaned, pulling himself to a sitting position, feeling tears stinging the back of his eyes at the pain, and he took a few shuddering, deep breaths, regaining himself before smiling up at Yuto.

"I'm fine." His friend looked down at him skeptically, before offering a hand up.

"So, any luck?" He asked, taking it and pulling himself to his feet. Yuto shook his head. Dang it.

"Me neither. What should I do? I could stay here until he comes back home. Keep watch, you know." Even as the words let his lips he felt they were unrealistic, but if it was for his family, for his mother, then it was worth a shot. Yuto frowned, brow furrowed, thinking.

"Keito, that just doesn't seem...you need your sleep. If he's still not back then you can look for him tomorrow. Besides, I bet he'll be back by the morning."

Keito nodded. Yuto's statement was logical. He sighed, and the two of them walked back to the other side of the castle, where they chatted for a while before returning to their own rooms for bed. When Keito got to his however, he found Daiki sprawled out on his bed, waiting. When Keito came in Daiki grinned, sitting up.

"What are you doing here?" Keito asked, surprised. Daiki stood, and as he walked over he said

"I wanted to see you. You weren't there today and I've gotten used to you being around." He was warm looking in the light of Keito's oil lamp, and his deep voice was rich and soothing, and Keito couldn't help but smile despite his weariness. He pulled Daiki into a hug, feeling his small frame warm and relaxing against his own, and it was just so comfortable...it was when he yawned that he realized just how tired he was. His eyelids were heavy, his limbs extra weight hanging from his body, and he knew that if they just stood there like that he would fall asleep. He stepped back, pulling away and going over to his dresser, quickly slipping on his pajama pants, his torso bare. When he turned back to Daiki his boyfriend had a sad expression, and he sighed, his eyes sweeping over Keitos bruises and shaking his head. Keito frowned.

"I'm fine." He mumbled, and Daiki gave him a kiss on the cheek, having to raise up on his toes to reach.

"Come and lay down over here, I've got cold presses." Daiki gestured to a bucket and a stack of washcloths sitting by the side of Keitos bed. Keito grinned slightly and followed Daiki’s direction, laying down on his stomach on the mattress, folding his arms and resting his head on them. He was just thinking he could fall asleep in that position when he felt something ice cold on his lower back. He jumped in surprise, and too late Daiki voiced

"It's kind of cold..." There was a small silence, during which Keito could hear the sounds of Daiki dipping another cloth into the bucket of water. He lay another freezing cold piece of fabric across Keito’s right shoulder blade, crooning

"You have knots in your back, baby."

"Baby?" Keito asked, propping himself up on his elbows and craning his head around to give Daiki a look. He tried not to show it, but the pet name sent shots of warmth across his limbs; there was something...sexy in that name. Daiki was grinning embarrassedly, his hands fiddling with a third strip of fabric.

"Yeah...I thought I'd give it a shot." Keito smiled, sitting up, the wet cloth sticking to his skin as he shifted, taking Daiki's hands and lacing their fingers together, leaning forward until their foreheads touched, and they were nose to nose.

"Say it again..." He whispered, and Daiki grinned, murmuring

"Anytime you want, baby." Keito tilted his head, pulling their lips together, and he could feel Daiki's surprise, the delayed reaction before he started kissing back, but once he did it was fierce, their lips crashing together, breathing becoming labored, hands entangled in hair. Keito could feel himself becoming more aroused, want trying to take over, and he broke away, chest heaving. Daiki let out a small noise like a whine, and he leaned forward, trying to pull them together. Keito took one hand from where it had crept up Daiki's shirt and put it on Daiki's chest, motioning for him to stop. Daiki did, and Keito could feel his chest rising and falling as his lungs expanded, his mouth gulping in air. He was hot to the touch, a light sweat hinted on his skin, and it reminded Keito of how good he had felt only moments before, and it made Keito want to keep going.

"I need to...just...give me a second." Keito breathed, and Daiki nodded, both of them regaining themselves in silence. After a few moments Daiki giggled a little, saying through his giggles

"So...I'll be keeping that reaction in mind for further exploration...._baby_." Keito felt the embarrassment wash over him, and he bit his bottom lip, hiding his eyes with his bangs and bowing his head. His silence alerted Daiki that something wasn't right, and he leaned forward, bending down in an attempt to see Keito's eyes.

"I'm sorry about that...I didn't mean to..." Keito forced the words out, and Daiki immediately protested the apology.

"Keito, that's not what I was trying to imply...I just meant...I really _really_ liked that. A lot. Too much, maybe." Keito felt relief, and a bit of pride that he was affecting Daiki in that way, and he leaned forward, pulling Daiki in for a lazier, long, assuring kiss. Somehow that kiss eventually turned into another hot, passionate, lengthy meshing of mouths and tongues, and Keito maneuvered Daiki so that the prince was on his back, Keito over him, and it wasn't until he felt Daiki's lips trailing down his neck that he had any presence of mind to stop. He became aware of himself, and what exactly they were doing, and he pulled away, crawling off of Daiki and sitting on the edge of the bed. Daiki propped himself up, his hair and clothes all disheveled, a stupid grin on his face, passion burning in his eyes, and Keito could feel the older boys gaze raking across his figure, and once he had regained himself he glanced up and Daiki announced

"You're so amazing. You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

Keito felt love for the prince wash through his veins, and he curled up next to Daiki on the bed, using one arm to draw the shorter boy close, and he kissed him gently on the head, before his exhaustion took hold and he fell into sleep.


	16. Chapter 16

He woke to Daiki pulling out of his arms, and he frowned, blearily sitting up.

"What's going on?"

"I've got to get back to my room before someone finds me. Go back to sleep Keito." He sat there, rubbing sleep out of his eyes, and the words slowly sank in. He didn't really want Daiki to go, he liked having him there, in his arms. It felt right. But logically Daiki leaving was the best option. He didn't want to acknowledge this, but he also didn't want to ask Daiki to stay. He stayed silent as Daiki got to his feet, adjusting his hair in the mirror and fixing his clothes. Daiki glanced back at the bed, and Keito must have looked kind of pathetic, because he came back to the bed, running a hand soothingly through Keito's hair and whispering

"I'm sorry baby. One day, we'll sleep in the same bed every night, and I'll never have to go. But for now, get a bit more sleep." With that, Daiki placed a gentle kiss on Keito’s lips and left. Keito tried to go back to sleep, but the sun began painting the sky with the first signs of dawn, and he found himself wide awake. He sighed, getting out of bed and taking a quick bath, slipping on some clothes before going over to his parents room, knocking on the door quietly to announce his presence before peaking his head in. He didn't realize he had been hoping his father would be here until his heart sank when he realized that the emotionless man wasn't in bed next to his mother. Dang it.

He grabbed a scrap of paper from a stack on his mother's bedside table and scribbled a quick note, informing her that he was spending his day searching for his father, and he slipped back out of the room, quiet so as to not wake her. Next he wandered over to the kitchen, finding empty, and he took an apple from a barrel by the door, shining it on his shirt as he walked. He decided the best place to look was in town, and with that he walked and he ate, and he made it into town just as the sun began to rise in earnest, painting the sky bright golds and pinks. People began waking up, and at the sight of them he became self conscious. He used to be one of them, and it was through nothing but misfortune that he wasn't any longer, but just by looking at him one could see the difference.

His clothes now were clean and untattered, and slightly flashy. His hair wasn't slightly too long, and he had a new confidence, now that he was with Daiki. He was one of the royal princes' _boyfriend_ now. He was different from them, and there was no escaping that. He realized that this place didn't feel like his home anymore. It held nothing for him. His friends, his family, his love, they all were at the castle. He thought these things as he walked, and once people were beginning to come out and go about their days, he began to ask around about his father.

Many of them knew who his dad was, but strangely no one had seen him for months, it seemed he hadn't been into town since the fire that had driven Keito's family out of their home. That was odd. He asked around until lunchtime, at that point returning to the castle grounds and exploring all land around the main building, and all side buildings. It was mid afternoon when he began a second search of the main castle, and the hours passed, he finding himself becoming increasingly skeptical of the hope that he would find his father. he passed by the royal dining room and heard the clink of cutlery and buzz of conversation he realized he was starving. He had only eaten an apple all day. Once he had finished his search, he decided, he would eat.

He was on the third story, nearing the end of his quest, when he spotted a large group of people all standing together. The golden bands circling their brows identified them; it was the royal siblings and their guests. Perhaps they had seen his father. Once got closer he asked

“Hey, has anyone seen my dad?" Daiki took the opportunity to wrap his arms loosely around Keito's waist, his little head resting on Keito's back, and the gesture cheered him up slightly. In that deep voice of his, his boyfriend asked

“What do you mean?”

“I mean he’s not here. Yesterday, he went out to buy fabric for Mom, and I didn’t ever see him come back… I’ve looked everywhere.” The princes all frowned, Prince Ryutaro murmuring a small

“Oh.” but none of them had seen his dad. He thanked them and left, finishing up his search and returning, exhausted and fruitless, to the kitchen. He sat down at the bar counter, and within seconds he had a steaming plate of food in front of him. He looked up gratefully at Mrs. Nakajima, and she smiled at him.

"Eat, I heard about what you've been up to today. I take it you didn't find him?" Keito dug in, shaking his head dolefully as he chewed.

"What have you eaten today, you look starving." She announced, and he swallowed, quietly replying with

"An apple." before shoveling more food into his mouth. She shook her head at him, but she retreated back into the kitchen, and in a matter of minutes his plate was cleared. As if by magic a second full plate was placed in front of him, and his eyes widened in surprise.

"Here, eat up. You're a growing young man, you need your food." Mrs. Nakajima said, taking his empty plate with a mothering look, and disappearing into the kitchen before Keito could thank her properly. That continued for four helpings, until he couldn't eat any more. He thanked Mrs. Nakajima, and found his mother finishing up repairs to some servants clothes in her office. When he came in she looked up, but at the sight of him alone the hope faded from her eyes.

"You couldn't find him?" She asked. He shook his head, and explained to her where he had been and that no one he had asked had seen him at all. She nodded, obviously worried, but she thanked him for what he had done, and he nodded, pulling her in for a hug.

"It's going to be okay mom. He'll be back soon." He assured her, and he felt her nod into his shoulder, before they separated. He left and he sighed, frustrated at his own uselessness. He didn't see anyone else that night, and he went to bed unhappy.

The next day was the day the Northern royal family was leaving, and all of the servants were put to work tidying and preparing to send them off. Keito helped Mrs. Nakajima prepare an especially elaborate breakfast, and then was called to prepare the horses, tacking up Prince Shintaro's horse, as well as helping some of the others with the saddlebags. Once the royal family was to leave however, the servants made themselves scarce, keeping away from the front entrance so as to not disturb the proceedings. Keito and Yuto hid up in the western tower, watching them leave through a pair of binoculars Yuto had snatched. Once the northern royal family had disappeared over the hills, they returned to their previous duties, the castle still needing repairs from the storm. Keito was put into the group of guys he had been with previously, and they were given the same job as before, removing fallen trees and chopping them into firewood for winter. They got to work, this time instead of the external grounds, on the courtyard. They were in the process of removing a fallen maple from the jumble of branches it had nested in when he heard his name being called. He glanced up, and to his surprise he saw Prince Yamada and Prince Daiki jogging up. The four other guys all gave him shocked looks, and work halted as the princes drew near. Yamada and Daiki stopped once they had reached the tree, and they took in the situation, asking

"What's going on?" The other guys all looked at Keito, as if because the princes knew him he was an ambassador of sorts between the two parties.

"We're going to move this tree out and chop it up." He informed them. The brothers shared a look, before saying

"Can we help?" That put the other guys on edge, and one of them said

"Your majesties, we wouldn't want to get your nice clothes dirty." At that Yamada smiled, shaking his head slightly at the mans excuse, before announcing

"That won't be a problem." and stripping off his shirt, Daiki following suit. The prince's hung their clothes on a nearby tree branch, and the other servants looked surprised to see that the prince's were very fit, muscles dancing across their torsos and arms. There was a quiet

"Oh." and with that Yamada and Daiki jumped in. The two extra bodies proved to be a great help, and for the rest of they day they participated in the dragging and carrying of trees and the chopping of firewood, their lean, muscular, torso's gleaming with sweat in the sunlight. Daiki always had an eye on Keito, concern flashing in his eyes whenever he would lift something heavy or trip. Some of the other servants noticed, but they didn't ask, and Keito tried to pretend everything was fine, and ignore the looks. At the end of the day as the sun was setting they decided to call it quits, and after the other guys left Keito personally thanked Yamada and Daiki for helping them. The princes scoffed, waving off his words.

"We didn't have anything better to do. Besides, Dai-chan missed you yesterday, didn't you, Daiki?" Yamada nudged his brother, and Daiki blushed, muttering

"Shut up." Yamada just grinned, but then he took in the placement of the sun in the sky, and he grew serious.

"We have to go, we can't be late to dinner."

"We could be a little bit late...." Daiki suggested, taking Keito's hand. Yamada frowned.

"Ayaki's going to be there." At that Daiki too grew serious, and after bidding Keito goodnight the two topless prince's wandered back in the direction of the dining hall. That was weird...Ayaki was there every night, wasn't she? There was obviously something the prince's weren't telling him. He pondered it, and he wished they would consider him close enough to tell important things in their lives. However he was still very aware that he was just a servant's son, while they were the sons of the ruler of their country, and he figured that he was never going to be fully confided in. He mulled these things over as he returned back inside to the servants’ part of the castle, and after finding out that once again his father had not returned, and talking with Yuto he went to bed.


	17. Chapter 17

The next week continued in a similar manner, his bruises fading away nearly completely. His father however, never returned, and he was beginning to grow more concerned. Sure, he and his dad hadn't really gotten along, but the man had been good to his mother, and she loved him very much. Now that he was missing she was beside herself with worry, and so Keito took it upon himself to take over his father's job until the man returned or they found someone else that could assist her. He ran every errand she needed, did the book keeping, and helped with minor repairs.

Occasionally he would see Daiki, the prince keeping him company as he tended to his duties, keeping up light chatter, and he would give him a small kiss before he left, so long as Keito's mother wasn't in the room. They were nice, sweet kisses, nothing like the incident in Keito’s bedroom, and while calming, and enjoyable, they didn't help Keito escape from his newfound constant state of worry and stress. This stress was heightened one day when he came into his mothers office to find Princess Ayaki standing in the center, her arms out, his mother measuring her waist. She wrote down the measurement, and when looking up from her paper finally noticed Keito standing in the doorway.

"Princess Ayaki has gotten engaged." His mother announced. She sounded politely excited, and Keito immediately congratulated the princess, inwardly calculating. Engaged? That meant not only a wedding, but many balls, and the princess would need new gowns for every occasion, not to mention the wedding dress, and—

His train of thought was cut off by his mother, asking if he would please go to their stocks of fabric and see what materials they had that might suit a wedding dress. And with that Keito’s world was suddenly and unexpectedly enveloped in wedding plans. It became apparent almost immediately that the princess held a special hatred for him. She always held a look of disgust on her face when he would come into her line of vision, as if he were a bug; one that she would like to kill but that she was too lazy to take the time to, because she knew that soon enough another would crawl in from a crack in the floor boards, and she didn't want to waste the effort. She refused to be near him, or let him touch her or anything she valued. It wasn't completely straightforward displays of hatred, but it was enough to leave Keito feeling kind of upset. He knew she didn't treat servants the best, but none of the others were getting the glares he was being treated to. This went on for over a week before he mentioned it to Daiki, his boyfriend coming to greet him just as he was finishing up his work and slipping their hands together, swinging them slightly as they walked.

"What exactly is Ayaki doing?" Daiki sounded seriously concerned, and Keito began regretting mentioning it at once. He described her actions, feeling silly now. Daiki listened intently, and then continued to walk next to him quietly, contemplating for a few moments before he said

"She's scared of you!" That certainly wasn't what Keito had been expecting to hear.

"Scared...of _me?"_ That just seemed ridiculous.

"Yeah. See, Ayaki's got a phobia of people like us. She knows that I love you, and that we're together, and she's afraid of you. You know how she backs up if you get too close? Well she won't let Hikaru or I touch her either." It was Keito's turn to be contemplative. People like us. He hadn't really thought much about how the outside world would react to his relationship with Daiki. After being surrounded by the royal brothers, and of course Yuto, all of whom were so accepting, he'd forgotten that the little haven of a world they had created within the castle walls was very separate from the rest of the country.

"I see." He too fell into a slightly embarrassed silence, and Daiki grinned, giving his hand a comforting squeeze, and glancing up at his face through his brown bangs, affection glowing in his eyes.

"I love you." Daiki's words were gentle, and he was smiling as he said them, and Keito felt Daiki's happiness infecting him, and he smiled back, murmuring

"I love you too." They stopped, finding themselves just in front of the huge double doors that led to the main ballroom. Daiki opened the door, pulling Keito inside deftly and slamming the door shut. Keito barely had time to take in the way the marble floor and stairs glowed in the moonlight pouring in from the huge glass windows before Daiki had pressed him up against the back of the doors, his lips meeting the skin just below Keito's ear, already trailing down his neck. So this was what Daiki wanted. Okay. He pulled the prince close, tilting his head down a bit to catch his lips with his own, their mouths moved together, and Keito felt Daiki's little, nimble fingers playing with the hem of his shirt, lifting it up and trying to examine Keito's torso; the darkness making it difficult.

"We could see in the light." Keito's words came out breathy, but Daiki understood, and they covered the short distance to where the moonlight pooled on the floor, their forms interrupting it, the moon painting them in a washed out light that gleamed majestically off of Daiki's skin. Keito pulled off his shirt, allowing Daiki to take a look at his exposed flesh. His bruises had gone, finally healed, and the prince gasped, running his hand down Keito's torso, the gentle touch making Keito shiver.

"I'm all better...you don't need to worry anymore." Keito mumbled, and Daiki pressed his lips to Keito's collar bone, his teeth scraping gently against the ridge, sending a shiver down Keito's spine, as his arms wrapped themselves around Keito's waist. The fabric of his sleeves was rough and in the way, and Keito found himself pulling Daiki's shirt up over his head, the prince's golden band slipping slightly as the garment brushed up and over it, and Keito barely took time to register that, attempting sloppily to adjust it, before Daiki pressed their bodies together, skin smooth and hot.

Keito felt Daiki's chest heaving, his hands brushing across Keito's hips, and Keito wrapped his arms around Daiki's thighs, picking him up. Daiki let out a small yelp of surprise, wrapping his arms around Keito's neck for support, and Keito trailed kisses across Daiki's torso, relishing the beautiful creamy skin. He took one of Daiki's nipples into his mouth, scraping across the nub with his teeth, and Daiki let out a low moan, shivering slightly. He could feel Daiki growing hard, his erection pressing into Keito's stomach, and he relished the feeling of the smaller boy's body in his arms. Just as he was thinking it however, Daiki unwrapped his legs from where they had linked around his waist and slipped down.

He hooked his index fingers into the waist of Keito's pants and pulled him forward, continuing all the way to the floor and rolling Keito over so that he was lying in his back under Daiki, the marble of the floor cold against his skin, making him shiver, but then Daiki reconnected their mouths, and he did something with his tongue that lit a fire in Keito's belly, and he _wanted_ Daiki. He wanted to be close to him, to feel him, to love him. Keito's hands gripped at Daiki's lower back, and he rolled his hips against Daiki's, the action decided upon subconsciously. The friction was amazing, and hot, and like nothing Keito had ever experienced before. He let out a small moan of pleasure, and Daiki pulled away to breathe, propping himself up on his hands, pulling their bare torsos apart.

"Keito...could we...?" He looked down into Keito's eyes, desire painted on his face, and when Keito hesitated he rolled his hips against Keito's, reminding him of just how much he wanted Daiki. Just how easy it would be to continue. To go all the way. But something small, buried in the back of his subconscious, held him back.

"Daiki...I want to...I really want to...but...I can't. Not right now." He felt his body's frustration at the decision; his physical desires making him regret the words slightly.

"I'm sorry." He could see just how much Daiki wanted this, wanted_ him_, and he was sorry he couldn't give the prince what he wanted. Daiki blinked, looking down at Keito for a moment before lowering himself back on top of him, their torsos still hot, breathing starting to return to a more steady pace, and he kissed him, the kiss long and passionate, and assuring.

"Don't apologize." Daiki finally said, once they had broken the kiss. "I love you. We're only going to get there when we're_ both_ ready. Just don't think you have to do anything you don't want to do, okay?"

"I love you, Dai-chan."

"I love you too, baby." They pulled themselves up, off of the floor, and Daiki said

"I need to go...calm myself..." He leaned down, picking up his shirt, and once it was in his hands he stood still, looking up at Keito, his eyes still full of love, the desire still shining through, and Keito was struck by how lucky he was. Daiki was amazing. Perfect. He pulled him close, trying to make Daiki understand how he felt with his kiss, and the reaction he got was one of the same strong passion, Daiki giving his hand a squeeze before he slipped out the door, leaving Keito there bathed in the moonlight.

The next day Keito spent the morning helping his mother, as usual, and he was given a break for lunch. He took some fruit and bread from the kitchen and made his way to the barn, crawling up in the hay loft to sit and eat in peace. Almost immediately his peaceful relaxed lunch was interrupted by the sound of the door pulling open, and he looked up to see the tops of two heads slip into the stall right underneath where he was sitting. Keito wasn't really all that interested until Prince Hikaru spoke, his tone serious, worried.

"Do you really think it was us? Do you really believe we would do that?” Keito froze, trying to remain silent. He shouldn't be hearing this, obviously, but he couldn't move without being discovered. It was obvious that something was wrong. He was surprised when Yabu-kun's voice answered. When had the northern king's royal advisor arrived? Why?

“I don’t want to but what else is there to believe?” Keito was beyond confused. What were the royal family being accused of? When Prince Hikaru responded his voice was strong and convincing, his usual joking light manner gone.

“The truth. We will do the best we can to find him, I promise. I’ll get my dad to conduct some searches. Something. Just… We didn’t do it.” There was a pause, the words heavy in the air, waiting for Yabu to accept them. When he didn't Hikaru's voice went low, intimate, and Keito felt himself blushing, feeling as if he were intruding even more so than before.

“It. Wasn’t. Us.” Hikaru insisted, and Keito heard the sounds of lips on skin punctuating each word. There was a sigh, and when Yabu spoke his words were weighed with distress

“I know. I do. I’m just scared. I’ve known Rensuke my whole life, and to me he’s my brother as much as he’s Takaki’s…” Something was wrong with Prince Rensuke? As the future king of the Northern kingdom, Keito had seen him at Princess Ayaki's birthday party, but he had left early to tend to his royal duties, and Keito hadn't gotten a chance to meet the prince. What could have happened to him? Keito's curiosity was thwarted however, Yabu-kun changing the subject.

“Speaking of which… Does Inoo like Takaki?”

“Yes, he likes him.” Hikaru's tone was light and teasing again, back to normal.

“That’s what I thought. Good.”

“Good?” Hikaru asked.

“Well, because… Takaki likes Inoo too.”

“Wait… Likes him or likes him?” Hikaru asked.

“Don’t know yet.” Keito internally scoffed. It was obvious spending time with those two that they were attracted to each other.

“Oh. But… What about Ayak-“ Hikaru's question was cut off by the sound of the northern king's royal advisor's voice calling

“Kota? Where are you? Let’s go.” There was some shuffling, sounds of bodies moving, and a yelled

"Coming Father!” followed by hurried whispering "We’re searching the area a bit before we go back. Don’t tell anyone. Bye.”

Hikaru barely got out a “Bye.” of his own before Yabu ran out of the stable, and Keito sat in silence, waiting for Hikaru to leave, mind reeling. What was going on? Something had happened involving Prince Rensuke, and the southern kingdom's royal family were being blamed, that much was clear. Once Prince Hikaru had finally left the stall, Keito raced down the ladder, hitting the ground running. His lunch had taken much longer than expected, and he hoped his mother wasn't being held up by his tardiness. In his haste he tripped, landing on his knees, skinning them slightly, but he got back up and continued running, bursting into his mothers office to find her alone, sitting at her desk, a design for the princess' wedding dress in front of her, pen in hand. She looked up in surprise as he burst through the door, and he slumped against the door frame, confused.

"Keito? Is everything alright?" That was an inaccurate question. They both knew that everything was not alright. He just knew of more things to worry about than she. He took a second to steady his breathing, nodding in confirmation as he did so, before asking

"Is the princess mad? I'm so sorry I'm late. I didn't mean to, I just..."

"She's decided not to continue with wedding plans today. She said she had other things to take care of." His mother assured him, shaking her head slightly, bemused by the surprise on his face.

"Oh."

"So if you have anything you need to do, you're free today." She offered, and Keito stood there in disbelief for a moment, before thanking her and exiting the room. He didn't know what to do with himself, his thoughts already refocusing on the conversation he had overheard in the stable. He wandered, contemplating, confused, and unable to reach any conclusion. He was worried. The princes were being accused of something. That meant _Daiki _was being accused of something. The concept of Daiki being thought of negatively was just upsetting, and he had a bad feeling about the whole thing.


	18. Chapter 18

"Keito?" His name being called caught his attention, and he looked up to see the prince striding over, immediately enveloping him in his arms, his warm body comforting. Keito wanted to ask what was going on, but he didn't want Daiki to think he had been eavesdropping, and it wasn't really his place to ask...he settled with a small question.

"How are you?" Daiki pulled out of the hug, shrugging, and sighing.

"Kinda stressed."

"How come?" Daiki paused, looking up at him, his expression serious, his brow furrowed, and Keito could see the debate being fought inside of him.

"I...it's just that..." He sighed again, breaking eye contact. "It's not a big deal. Just some politics. Don't worry about it, okay?"

"I saw Yabu-kun here. Is everything okay?" He pushed a bit, not quite ready to give up. Daiki frowned.

"Oh...he just had some news for us. It doesn't really affect us...here...at all, so..." Daiki danced around the question, his vagueness frustrating, and Keito felt the disappointment burrow itself inside of his chest, and he realized that this was why he couldn't go all the way with Daiki the night before. There was still a fraction of Daiki's life that he couldn't or wouldn't share with Keito, and no matter how irrational it was to hold it against him, Keito was a little bit upset, still a little bit afraid. He wanted to insist that no, it was a big deal, and he needed to be told about it. He wanted Daiki to let him be there for him, through anything. He wanted to insist that he was going to worry, because he was no matter if Daiki would tell him of not. But instead he just took Daiki's hand, placing a kiss on his cheek, and he stayed silent.

"I was going to go train for a while...want to come?" Daiki offered, changing the subject.

"Train?"

"Yeah, my boxing. I was going to jump some rope, shadow, practice with the bag, you know."

"Oh." He'd never seen Daiki box before. "I'd like to come, yes." They wandered down to the training room, Daiki opening a secret side door into and welcoming Keito into a whole separate room, almost perfectly square, with the same floor and walls as the training room, but this room had a punching bag rigged up in the middle, long mirrors along another side, and shelves that held Daiki's boxing materials and jump ropes.

"I found this place by mistake when I was little. It was empty, so I made it my own special practice room." Daiki explained, walking over to the shelves, pulling off his shirt, folding it and tucking it into one of the cubbies along with the golden band he kept around his head. He searched through some of the other shelves, looking for something, and it was then that Keito noticed that they were all down low, because he couldn't reach up high, and he realized that the shelves were accommodating the prince's height deficiency. Daiki obviously didn't find what he was looking for, and he had an epiphany of his own, slamming one fist down into his open palm, his eyes growing wide, and he frowned slightly.

"What's up?" Keito asked, and Daiki turned back to the shelves, pulling out a gauze-like fabric and beginning to wrap it around his fingers as he said

"Oh, I just left my special wrap upstairs..." He finished wrapping his hands and grabbed a jump rope from the shelf, jogging in place for a second to warm up his legs before beginning, the rope twirling around with the flick of his tiny wrists, and he jumped, his hair bouncing up and down as he did so. Keito watched, Daiki's muscled arms and torso making it easy to get engrossed, and after a minute Daiki said

"You're staring." Keito blushed, averting his eyes, and Daiki asked

"Want to try?" He scooped another jump rope off of the shelf, holding it out to Keito. Tentatively, Keito took it, feeling silly, and he took the ends of the rope in each hand, Daiki nodding encouragingly and beginning to jump again. Keito watched for a minute, and then began to jump on his own, trying to figure the action out. He felt kind of ridiculous, but he was thinking he was getting the hang of it when his foot caught on the rope and he went crashing into the ground, his hands still gripping the ends as he bit the dust. He was disoriented for a moment, before gathering himself. His ankle hurt, he'd bent it slightly the wrong way, and his chin had slammed into the ground when he'd fallen, the underside scraped up and bleeding. He could feel what would later be bruises forming on his knees and shoulders, and his jaw wracked with shock from where his shin had hit the ground. Daiki murmured a shocked

"Oh my god!" Dropping his jump rope and bending down, Keito opening his eyes and rolling over to see Daiki's face right there, concerned.

"Are you okay baby? That looked terrible." Keito blinked, trying to figure out just how he was, when Daiki announced

"You're bleeding!" He put a finger delicately to his chin, hissing at the sting, and pulling it back to see blood slick along the tip, and he frowned. Daiki grabbed another one of his hand wraps and he began to dab at the wound, Keito fighting to hold back any indication that Daiki wasn't being soft enough, because—ouch! The prince was rough! He finished up, and pulled Keito to his feet, Keito walking over to the mirror and tilting his head back, staring down his nose to see the underside of his chin. Oh, good. The scrape was minuscule and would probably be gone within the week.

"Maybe I'll just sit and watch for a while..." He proposed, and he caught Daiki's reflection nodding behind him. He sat down, legs crossed under him, back against the mirror, and he watched as Daiki resumed his jump-roping for a few more minutes before the smaller young man set the rope aside and turned to the mirror, drawing up his fists as he did so.

"Um...I'm going to do some shadowboxing..." He was obviously feeling rather self conscious, because even after Keito nodded, he just stood there, staring at himself, his arms up, fists ready, stance wide, his face growing to become more pink as time passed. Keito grinned, surprised at his boyfriends sudden shyness.

"Would it help if I left?" He asked, and Daiki let his arms fall, standing up straight, and sent him a bit of a puppy dog look.

"Don't go." The tone of his voice made Keito go red, and he grinned embarrassedly, taking his eyes off of Daiki for a moment to regain himself. He kept his gaze on the ground until he heard a whispered

"Pow!" He looked up to see Daiki withdrawing his fist from where he had punched the air, quickly ducking and aiming another punch with a second muttered sound effect, the whole thing happening in the blink of an eye. Keito watched, amazed by the speed with which Daiki moved, his agility unlike any Keito had ever seen before. His muscles flexed and lengthened, rippling under his skin, and Keito was in awe. As Daiki practiced his murmurs grew more and more quiet, until they stopped all together, and he became completely focused. He fought his nonexistent opponent, sweat beginning to shine out on his chest and face, and Keito became entranced. Time slipped by, and eventually Daiki stopped, lowering his arms, chest heaving, and Keito looked up at him from where he was plopped on the floor, at a loss for words. Daiki grinned, flicking his bangs out of his eyes.

"I hope you're not bored." Keito shook his head at once, smiling a little.

"I'm not...you...you're really...you look really..." He tried to find the words, his eyes sweeping over Daiki's spectacular body, but when he caught Daiki's eyes he realized that he didn't have to, because the prince understood. It was Daiki's turn to blush, his ears and cheeks blooming pink, and Keito smiled at him, a small, slightly bashful smile, and Daiki leaned down, capturing Keito's lips in a chaste kiss, comforting and familiar, and when he pulled away Keito murmured

"I love you." Daiki grinned.

"I love you too." He stood up, backing away and taking a stance by his punching bag, immediately slugging it with all he had, the bag lurching and jerking on its chains, and Keito settled in, thinking as he watched just how nice it was to be like this. He felt so content, sitting here watching the man he loved, sharing his life, and he thought about just how lovely it would be if they could be like this forever, just the two of them, sharing life. He thought over this concept, allowing himself to daydream unrealistically, as Daiki worked with his punching bag, only broken out of his train of thought when the prince began to stride back toward the shelves, unwrapping his hands as he walked, looking sweaty but content, and he quickly put the wraps away, throwing his shirt over his slick shoulder and placing his golden band around his head. Keito got to his feet, and Daiki said

"Don't get too close...I need a shower." Keito ignored the warning, accompanying the prince back up to his bedroom; upon arriving Daiki immediately slipped inside his adjoining bathroom, and soon Keito heard the sound of the water running. Daiki peaked his head out around the door, and in that low voice of his said

"Want to join me?" The suggestion sent beads of warmth traveling down Keito's stomach, settling in his abdomen, and he thought of their time in the ballroom, and he was about to say yes, when he remembered what had happened only hours before, when Daiki hadn't told him what was going on, or at least explained that he couldn't tell Keito what was going on. He remembered how that had felt, and he turned Daiki down, saying

"Not today, Dai-chan."

As Daiki takes his shower Keito is drawn back into the real world, and his mind fills with worry. He worries about he upcoming wedding, about his still missing father, about what the royal family were being accused of, and why Daiki was trying to pretend it wasn't anything important. He wanted to talk to someone about it. To be able to hash through it together with someone. Obviously, Daiki wasn't an option...Yuto! His friend was exactly the person he needed. Just as he thought this, the bathroom door pulled open, warm air pushing into the room, and he looked up to see Daiki stride out, a towel around his little waist, his hair still damp from the shower, and the shorter boy went to his immense closet, shutting the door behind himself. Keito went over to the door, knocking gently.

"Dai-chan?"

"Yeah?"

"I've got to go...I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" There was a pause, and then a hurried

"Wait." After a moment Daiki pulled open the door; he still want completely dressed, his upper half bare, pants just resting on his hips, not fastened. He stepped forward, pulling Keito in for a hug.

"Thanks for accompanying me today." He said as the pulled apart. Keito smiled, letting his arms stay loosely around Daiki's lower back, thumbs brushing the top of his pants, and he murmured

"Of course...I enjoyed it." He pulled himself away, sticking his hands in his pockets, and after a quick kiss he left, off to find his best friend. He immediately went down to the kitchen, but Mrs. Nakajima and Raiya were the only ones there, preparing dinner. He checked the baths, and the stable, before realizing that Yuto was probably in his room. He mentally whacked himself, turning around and returning to the servant area of the castle, finding Yuto's door and gently pushing it open.

Keito suddenly knew how Prince Inoo must have felt when he interrupted Keito and Daiki in the alleyway. Yuto was in there, he had Prince Yamada pressed up against the wall, the prince's legs wrapped around Yuto's waist his arms loosely around Yuto's shoulders. Yuto was holding him up with his arms. They were kissing, and it was gentle, short kisses, with small chuckles and happy sounding mumbles in between. The whole thing felt intimate, and personal, and Keito slowly backed out of the room, pulling the door shut behind himself. Later he would get a chance to talk with Yuto.


	19. Chapter 19

He got his chance after dinner and he took his friend to his room, where he recounted what he had overheard in the stable. Yuto listened, frown deepening as Keito's story went on; but once Keito had finished, instead of being completely confused as Keito had expected, he said

"Ryosuke told me something had happened. He didn't tell me what it was—he said he couldn't—but he did say it was weighing down on his mind a lot. Maybe this has to do with what he was referring to. We should ask him." Yuto stood up, taking Keito's hand and pulling him to his feet as well.

"Now?"

"Yeah. Why not? He likes it when I drop by, and he likes you, too. Besides, this is important." Keito nodded, and the two made their way up to the prince's bedroom. Keito liked Prince Yamada's bedroom; it was just his taste—the colors, the deigns, even the layout—and he felt that if he was able to deign his own oversized bedroom it would be a lot like Prince Yamada's. Yuto knocked on he door, his knuckles rapping in a sporadic, uneven pattern, and Keito couldn't help but send his friend a questioning look. Yuto caught the confused glance, and smiled, explaining

"We have a code knock...Ryosuke made it up."

"Oh." Sure enough, within seconds Prince Yamada appeared at the door, a smile already on his lips.

"Hey Yuto-kun...oh." He was obviously not expecting Keito, surprise flashing in his eyes for a moment, before he opened the door, letting them in.

"What's up guys?" Keito was relieved to find that the prince didn't sound off put by his presence; Yuto meanwhile, flopped comfortably on Yamada's bed, saying

"We wanted to talk to you about the stuff that happened earlier today." This got Yamada's attention, and he sat on the bed across from Yuto, tucking his legs under himself nicely, a slight frown gracing his face.

"The stuff that happened earlier today?" He repeated Yuto's words, rephrasing them into a question, and Yuto explained

"Yeah, the stuff that was bothering you. Keito accidentally overheard something, and I thought it might have to do with whatever it was that you were so worried about, so we came to ask you." Yuto sounded slightly hesitant, as if unsure Yamada would be okay with them prying after he had apparently told Yuto that it was a matter he couldn't discuss. The prince lapsed into silence, obviously weighing the pros and cons of involving Keito and Yuto. Eventually he sighed, announcing

"I'll bite. What did you accidentally overhear, Keito?" All of a sudden Keito was slightly nervous, Prince Yamada's gaze rather sharp, his curiosity as to just how much they knew intense. The prince's golden band glinted in the lamplight, reminding Keito of Yamada's status, of the power he had, and he became meek. He took a deep breath, recounting to the younger boy his accidental overhearing of Prince Hikaru and Yabu-kun's conversation in the stable, and once he finished, before Yamada could talk, Yuto added

"We think we have two things figured out for sure...one: something bad happened involving Prince Rensuke," he paused, looking to Yamada for confirmation. Yamada dipped his head, agreeing with the statement, and Yuto continued "and you guys...the royal family I mean, are being blamed for it." This was met with another small nod, and the prince sat in silence, thinking, and fiddling with his bangs. As he adjusted the hairs he began to speak.

"Prince Rensuke was kidnapped shortly after he departed from our castle, the morning after Ayaki's ball. The kidnappers left a note and evidence behind that framed my family and I. It wasn't much, just scraps of our things. The note itself stated that the prince had to be found within a month before he was killed. No ransom or anything. It quite honestly wasn't the most subtle or effective way to pin it on us, but the North is desperate, and Yabu-san, the royal advisor, and his son Kota arrived this morning, demanding answers. That had been the first time we had heard about it. There's not a whole lot we can do about it from our end of things at the moment, but it’s been weighing heavily on everyone's minds." Prince Yamada had finished playing with his hair, and instead he had his lips pressed together, eyebrows scrunched with worry.

"So...Prince Rensuke is being held hostage somewhere, is there anything we can do? I mean...do you guys have a plan? The poor prince...we can't just let him die...right?" It was as though Yuto had just realized how tense and uncomfortable the situation could become if the royal family was not planning on doing anything about Prince Rensuke's capture. Yamada took Yuto's hand just barely into his own, fingers brushing for a fleeting moment; before he said

"We have a bit of a plan. Right now all anyone can do is keep their nose down and hope a clue reveals itself, or that the Northern Kingdom's search parties are successful." This obviously wasn't the response Yuto had been hoping for, but he nodded, and Keito found himself nodding along. He didn't we how he and Yuto could do much to help, except for going out and searching themselves, and he didn't want to leave his mother alone. That thought brought another. The prince had probably gone missing the same time his father had. He thought about it, calculating how long it would have taken for Prince Rensuke to make it back to the north before he was taken. The two disappearances fit within a day or two of each other. What if they were connected? Perhaps his father had been taken by the same people. But what would they take him for? He certainly held no significance in the national scheme of things; he was simply a servant. Perhaps he had heard something he shouldn't have, and they took him so he couldn't divulge their plans...or they killed him. He drove that notion from his mind, feeling slightly nauseous. This was pointless speculation; the cases were probably completely separate, there was nothing linking them except timing.

He was pulled out of his thought by a hand on his shoulder. Yuto. His friend looked concerned, and he slung a lanky arm across Keito's shoulders, turning to Prince Yamada and saying

"It's getting late, we'd better get going. Goodnight Ryosuke..:" Before steering Keito out of the room. Once alone in the hallway Yuto sent a concerned glance up at Keito's face.

"You okay? What's on your mind?" Yuto's awareness of him was comforting, and Keito found himself smiling a little bit.

"I was just thinking about my dad...speculating." He paused, indecision about if he should tell Yuto his notion flickering in his thoughts, but he pushed on.

"Do you think the two disappearances are linked?" As he spoke Yuto's eyes softened, sympathy washing over his face.

"Oh Keito...I don't know." Keito nodded, feeling a bit embarrassed, and Yuto have his shoulder a comforting squeeze, keeping his arm warned around Keito until they had arrived at their separate bedrooms, and parted ways for the night.

The next week they did as Prince Yamada had suggested and pretended not to know about the disappearance of the Northern kingdom's heir, and life truly continued as usual, much to Keito's surprise. He spent his days helping his mother with Princess Ayaki's needs and he rarely ever saw the other members of the royal family, aside from the occasional surprise visit from Daiki, but those were fleeting. He had been sitting in his mothers workspace, calculating the expected cost of a layered skirt versus an asymmetrical one for the wedding dress when his mother pushed through the door, a mountain of fabric in her arms. He stood, hurrying to relieve her of the burden, and she was grateful when he took the bundles from her arms. As he was getting himself adjusted he heard an unexpected voice.

"Where do these go?" He peered around the fabric in his arms to see Prince Inoo, his arms similarly full, the prince craning his neck to look around the room questioningly.

"Here, just put them on these tables...he gestured to the long tables pushed up near the back window, and Prince Inoo hurried over, grunting dramatically as he set the bundle down. Keito thanked the older prince and took to sorting out the new fabrics. Prince Inoo slipping back out the doorway, Keito's mother taking seat at the desk, looking over the figures he had calculated while she'd been out. They fell into a comfortable silence as they worked, and eventually the sounds of a conversation drifted through the open doorway.

“He doesn’t like you. You’re so pathetic it’s pissing me off. Can’t you just give up already?” The princess' voice was harsh, the words snapping and cruel. Prince Inoo's response was quiet, the princess too lowering her voice, the words starting out quiet and ending loud, not quite a shout, but very audible

“Well, I’ve hugged and danced with him more. It’s probably just pity anyway. And I’ve kissed him. Twice.”

“He didn’t ever want you to.” Prince Inoo's response was just as loud, and Keito glanced nervously at the doorway. He knew it wasn't really any of his business, but it sounded like a fight was about to break out between the two similar looking siblings right there in the hall. He shared a look with his mother, and she stood, her wooden chair scraping against the stone floor as she pushed it back, and left, interjecting into the argument hesitantly

“Sorry to interrupt, but if you don’t mind…Your highness, I have a few questions about the cut of the skirt…” Keito paused in his actions to focus on the royal siblings’ response.

“Okay.” Ayaki's voice was sugary sweet, and overly nice, but Keito still sighed in relief, turning his attentions back to the bundles he was putting away, decidedly tuning out the conversation his mother was having with the princess until his job was complete, after which he returned to cost calculations of attaching pearls all along the skirt of the dress, an idea the princess was fond of. He spent the rest if his evening doing paperwork.

The sun had set, dinner eaten, when Keito ran into Prince Yamada, the short prince leaning against the small span of wall separating Keito's bedroom from the one the Nakajima brothers shared. His gaze was unfocused, brow furrowed, and he looked uncomfortable, obviously deep in thought, his expression making it seem that his train of thought wasn't a pleasant one. When Keito approached the prince stood properly, giving Keito his attention.

"Um...Yuto's in the kitchen, helping his parents with the dishes." Keito figured that had to be why the prince was here. Yamada however, shook his head.

"I was hoping to talk with you, actually." Keito had a sense of foreboding wash over him. The prince had never searched him out for a one on one talk before. Something must have happened.

"Um...oh...okay." He knew he sounded nervous, and he mentally whacked himself. The prince offered him a small, rather distracted, worried looking smile, before announcing

"My brother loves you." That took Keito by surprise. Not the words—he knew that Daiki loved him—but why was Prince Yamada bringing it up now?

"He's been talking about marrying you. Dropping subtle hints at the concept. He's serious about you." That information washed over him, and he felt numb, mind reeling with the thought. Marriage?! What? He'd had no idea. He himself had entertained the concept occasionally, late at night, or the rare daydream, but considering the social implications, and the rift in their status, he had never considered it seriously.

"Um, why are you telling me this now? Something must've brought this on, right?" He tried not to be too struck with Prince Yamada's words, and to look at the situation logically. Prince Yamada looked rather guilty, averting his eyes.

"Just...remember that no matter what, he loves you. Please." The prince was very serious, the silence falling between them heavy, and he had some pity in his eyes when he finally looked back up, murmuring a quick

"Good night, Keito." Yamada pulled him in for a quick hug before heading back in the direction of the staircase that led to the royal family's sleeping quarters. Keito watched him go, their strange conversation reeling through his mind.

There was the matter of the words the prince had uttered. Marriage? Keito found himself becoming more and more flustered, and unsure of himself as the thought seep through his brain. He took a deep breath, forcing it from his mind, instead trying to focus on the way Yamada had said the words, the unspoken things.

The prince had been very concerned about his awareness of Daiki's feelings for him. The '_no matter what'_ he'd thrown in at the end was the worst part. The fact that it was uttered, and in such a serious manner, meant that Prince Yamada had felt it necessary. Something was wrong. Something else was wrong. The disappearance of his father, and then the kidnapping of the Northern prince, neither of those had brought confusing requests or secret meetings. What could have possibly happened?

He let himself wonder for a long while before realizing he was just speculating, creating unnecessary suspicion and making himself worry even more, before even knowing the facts. Still, he didn't manage to get much sleep that night.


	20. Chapter 20

The next morning Keito woke with a new resolve. All he could do was love Daiki, and remember that Daiki loved him too, and continue on with life, and hope everything would work itself out. He checked in with his mother, but she waved him away, saying that the princess had canceled any meetings for the day, and that she could manage fine on her own. Strange. Still, he was glad for the break, and he decided to put himself to work helping with the castle's laundry. He went out into the courtyard, where other servants were clustered around mounds of fabric, sitting around with their washboards, chatting as they worked, all of them soaked, the women with their sleeves rolled up as high as they could go, the men discarding their shirts entirely. Keito slipped his off, taking a tub and getting to work.

Half an hour later he was being kicked out by a scowling middle aged woman, without even being given time to grab his shirt. He had rubbed a hole in the sheet he'd been cleaning. It had been an accident, but she didn't appear to be much of one for second chances. Oops. He did feel bad about the sheet. He'd find it and patch it up later, once she wasn't around. He sighed, resolving to return to his room and read, and he returned back indoors, barely making it inside before a hand grabbed his arm, jerking him back against the wall, a low chuckle blessing his ears, before Daiki kissed him, the prince's fingers trailing down his bare chest, lips soft and full, and magical, as they trailed down his jaw. Keito grinned, whispering

"Hey, let me see you." Daiki obliged, pulling back slightly, and Keito took him in, letting the concept of marriage take over his mind. Picturing himself with Daiki, forever. He felt a warmth grow in his chest at the thought, and he decided. No matter what. No matter what, he would be there with Daiki, by Daiki's side.

"You're just amazing." Daiki breathed, and then they were kissing again, slow and careful, drawing the moments out for as long as possible, mindful of each other, mindful of keeping desire in check. They kissed for what felt like hours, until they eventually ended up curled up next to each other on the cold stone floor, propped up on the wall, and Keito was actually beginning to doze off a bit, when there was a voice, calling out

"Daiki? Where are you?" Daiki made a small noise of displeasure, before yelling

"Here, Chii." And lazily pressing his lips to Keito's shoulder, his tongue tracing over Keito's mole, pulling away as his little brother came around the corner. Keito blushed, his cheeks burning with embarrassment, as Prince Chinen took in their position. But the younger boy just looked a little sad, and he murmured

"Daiki, we need you upstairs."

"What is it?" Daiki seemed reluctant to move, his fingers curling around Keito's hip.

"I'll fill you in on the way. It's important. You need to know." Those words rung with foreboding, and Daiki frowned, brows furrowing, and he made to get up, pulling Keito to his feet and giving him a hug and a quick kiss before setting off with Chinen. Keito watched them go, dread scooping out a little hole for itself in his stomach. He decides to try and read, like he'd originally planned, and he goes back to his room, and he does read, for almost an hour, before Mrs. Nakajima comes in, asking if he would please deliver this tray up to the Kings office, just set it outside the door? He agrees at once, and after slipping on a new shirt he's off, a silver platter of hot food in both hands. He's very careful with it, and its a relief once he sets it down in front of the huge oak doors, and he sighs, stepping away and after taking in the tray, making sure nothing spilled that he may have missed, he sets off back the way he'd come, fully intending to return to his room, until the sound of his own name catches his ears.

"...Keito we’re talking about. If he…” He looked over, and found himself peering into Prince Inoo's bedroom, the royal brothers all sitting around on the bed and couches, heir expressions grim. It was Daiki who had spoken, his head in his hands, and Keito's concern for Daiki overrode any qualms he felt about butting into a private conversation. Especially if it involved him in some way.

“If I what?” He asked, waking in, but when all ten royal eyes turned their line of sight to him he felt the need to backtrack.

"Sorry,” He quickly told them “I wasn’t eavesdropping; I just heard my name, so…” He felt stupid, so he just shut up. The atmosphere was heavy, and an underlying tension linked most of the boys. They remained silent, as Daiki lifted his head from his hands, and gave Keito a look. A look that threatened to rip his heart in half. A scared, confused, angry, loving, upset, regretful look, that opens up a pit of terror in Keito's chest, as tears began to make their way down Daiki's cheeks.

“D-Daiki?!” He wanted to fix it, to make whatever was wrong stop. He sat next to Daiki on Prince Inoo's deep blue sheets, and wrapped an arm around Daiki's shoulders, pulling him to his chest, and placing a chaste kiss on the top of Daiki's head. Daiki pushed back against the hand on his back, but he pulled him closer, trying to comfort him. Keito froze however, when Daiki murmured

“Please don’t touch me.” The words were terrifying. Never had Daiki ever refused Keito's touch. He had always asked for it, begged for it, and even stolen it sometimes. What the hell had happened?! He slowly let go, the fear escalating as Daiki shifted away, putting space between them, and he demanded

“Daiki. What is it.” Daiki was shaking his head, the tears still trailing down his cheeks, down the end of his nose, and after a moment he said

“We caught you. You and your father.”

“Daiki—” Prince Chinen sounded reproachful, but Keito barely took notice. That didn't make any sense. His father? They had caught...? He tried to make sense of it.

“Caught? You mean, like, did you find him?” But if they had found his father then why was Daiki crying? But Daiki nodded, and said

“We know where he is.” For a second Keito felt relieved, as what that would mean to his mother washed over him, but the obvious distress brought him back, and he took in Daiki's tears

“Then why’re you—” His sentence was cut short violently, Daiki throwing a paper at him, the page blocking his vision for a moment, as Daiki stood, and when he spoke his words were harsh, angry.

“You have explaining to do.” He stormed out, and Keito stood, his only thought fixing him. Making Daiki better, but he was stopped by a grip on his forearm. It was Hikaru, the future king looking concerned. The prince nodded to the paper, the one Daiki had thrown, and said

“I think you should read that.” Not knowing what else to do, and desperate for answers, Keito took the page in his hands, and read. It was a letter.

_Dear Ayaki,_

_How are you doing? Well, I hope. I know you get tired of hearing this, but I’ll remind you for the hundredth time—don’t go soft. Another thing I didn’t have time to tell you before I left—are you still sending in valuables for us to pawn? After you became rich, you’ve been single-handedly funding this plan, so don’t stop now. Though I understand your reason for keeping it, that necklace would have gotten us a lot… You’ve probably heard of what happened to Prince Rensuke, so I’ll tell you how it happened. We had already scheduled our meeting with him, pretending to be from a country and wanting to discuss some border issues. And once he’d sat down and gotten comfortable, it was swords out! Simple, really. _

_ I specially placed the items you’d given me to put at the scene, so I know that it all turned out according to plan. The best part is… They’ll never find us. We’ve hidden him in Northern territory. Yup. While they’re running all over the South like chickens with their heads cut off, we’ll just be hanging out, completely safe. It’s pathetic, really… If you just stand in front of the back door of the castle and keep walking straight, you’ll run into us at the back edge of the forest. We’re so close that it’s funny. There’s still some debate on whether or not we should kill him once his one month is up, though if we didn’t, I don’t see what we could do with him… It could just end up being a bother. Ah, we’ll mess with that when the time comes. It’s not your problem anyway. Stay strong and inconspicuous._

_—Okamoto Kenichi_

Keito's mind was on overdrive, one thought clambering in front of another, and yet things began to make sense, and Daiki's words minutes earlier were explained.

_“We caught you. You and your father.” _Oh god. Did they think he was a part of this? He pushed off of the bed, his eyes wandering from royal face to royal face, pleading with them.

“I…I didn’t know, I had nothing to do with this—” Prince Yamada cut his sentence short, his voice calm.

“We know. Just… Daiki…” The underlying message was clear._ Remember what I said. Remember that no matter what, he loves you. He does._ Keito nods, and runs from the room, searching desperately for Daiki. He finds him in the most predictable location, his boyfriend—was he still his boyfriend? Oh god—was curled up on the sofa pushed up against the left wall of his bedroom, his face buried in his hands again. Keito froze, words escaping him for a moment, before he walked in, stopping so that he was standing, facing Daiki.

"Dai-chan...I didn't know. I had no idea about my father. I...I had nothing to do with this plot, or Rensuke's kidnapping. I promise you." There was a long pause, and Daiki lowered his hands, his little fingers shaking, his face flushed with tears, but he still didn't speak. Keito took a seat next to him, murmuring

"I love you. I would never do anything to hurt you, or your family, like this." When Daiki still didn't respond, he reached out, his fingers beginning to slide into the spaces between Daiki's own, when Daiki jumped up suddenly, yelling.

"How do you expect me to suddenly trust you, to believe you? We’re about to have a war and it’s his fault." Keito was shocked by the suddenness of it all, as if touching Daiki had flipped a switch. And he was scared. Daiki didn't trust him. Didn't believe him.

"I've never lied to you, Daiki. Ever. I'm not now. I didn't know. I'm sorry about what he did—what he's doing—but it isn't my fault. I'm not involved." Daiki finally looked at him, eyes desperate, confused, scared. His voice grew weaker, quiet, and he asked

"How can you be so calm right now?" _What?!_

"I’m not calm." Keito let the desperation, the fear, the turmoil he was feeling creep into his words, for once not holding himself back.

"You call this calm?! How can I be calm?!?" He was yelling. He stood, taking a deep breath, before continuing

"Maybe you didn’t get past the fact that on that letter is my last name. I didn’t know anything about this. It’s my dad’s name on that paper, not mine. And do you think that it doesn’t affect me? You’ve never had a dad, so you don’t get this—" Daiki opened his mouth to protest, but Keito didn't let him, because Daiki didn't know what Keito's father was like. What living with a man like him was like."—but I don’t want him to get a death sentence. He’ll probably get hung for his crimes, and what’d you think that’ll do to my mom?" Just the thought brought tears to his eyes. Stinging his throat and blurring his vision. "I’m going to lose my father, maybe my mother—at least emotionally, probably my place here, everybody’s trust, and the most important thing in my life. _You_. And I didn’t do anything to earn it." A sob racked Daiki's body, and Keito watched him for a moment, feeling helpless. Daiki looked up at him, a said

"But...he's your father. Your dad, not some obscure relative. Your father, who raised you..." When Keito spoke again, his breaths were shaky, his voice giving away his tears

"Look, I can't tell you what to believe. I don't know how to convince you that I didn't know, it's up to you to make the choice; but I can tell you one thing. Do you remember those bruises? The ones I got after the ball? You know how I wouldn't tell you who had beaten me?" Daiki had grown quiet, his face all scrunched up and red, snot and tears and confusion on it. His brow furrowed a bit farther at the mention of the memory, and Keito took that as a sign to continue.

"It was him. He did that to me. And I can tell you that I never would pick someone like that over someone like you."

"He...beat...you?" Daiki's words were tentative, and raw, and angry.

"Yeah. He saw us kissing, and he didn't like it."

"And you stayed with me." It came out like a question.

"Yes. Because I love you more than I ever loved him." Keito searched Daiki's face. "Because you are my future...if you'll let that be." Daiki stood there, taking him in for a long time, and Keito slumped against the wall, sliding down until he was sitting, his hands shaking from the emotional roller coaster. He had pleaded his case; it was out of his control.

Then, Daiki came forward, and he curled himself up in Keito's lap, his cold wet face hurrying into Keito's neck, and Keito immediately wrapped an arm around Daiki's back, pulling him close. Daiki's hands wrapped themselves in his shirt, and his little body shook with tears, as Keito used his free hand to pry one of Daiki's from his shirt, lacing them together. He felt Daiki's breath hot on his neck, Daiki's tears rolling down his throat, and he just pulled Daiki closer, his own tears falling into Daiki's brown hair, and there, like that, they cried themselves to sleep.


	21. Chapter 21

The only reason Keito woke when he did was that the floor was an extremely uncomfortable place to fall asleep. His back, neck, shoulders, and hips were all stiff and aching, and once he had opened his eyes he found the prince's room flooded in daylight. He must have slept much later than usual, despite his discomfort. He looked down, trying to catch a glimpse of Daiki's sleeping face, but all he got was the top of his head and the scent of sunshine, the golden band he wore digging into Keito's collar bones. He rolled his shoulders, one of those little waking up noises nestling in the back of his throat, brows furrowing slightly when he felt just how stiff his muscles were.

Daiki shifted slightly, his nose burrowing into Keito's chest, and Keito stilled, enjoying the feeling of Daiki's heartbeat under his hand, nestling down to doze off until the doorknob twisted, and drew his focus. The door swung open, Yuto popping his head in, his friend catching Keito's eye and motioning for him to come. Keito glanced down at Daiki's sleeping form, Yuto getting the hint, but shaking his head, insisting. Keito frowned a bit, concerned slightly. What could Yuto need him for? He really didn't want to wake Daiki, but he tapped him gently on the shoulder, rubbing circles on his back, and murmuring

"It's morning. I have to go, Yuto needs me." Slowly Daiki shifted, his hands coming up to rub his face before he opened his eyes, blinking up at Keito, his body still half in his lap. Keito looked back at him, slightly uncertain. Daiki hadn't ever told him what he had decided last night. He wanted to kiss him, but he was scared. What if Daiki didn't want him to? What if Daiki, even after last night, decided that he didn't want to be with Keito anymore? But Daiki had a little grin on his lips, and he leaned in, planting a chaste kiss on Keito's lips, and murmuring

"I'm sorry." Keito felt relief was over him at the words, and he leaned in, planting his own kiss on Daiki's lips, taking in the warmth of him, the smell of him, as endorphins flooded his brain, and he grinned into the kiss. But then when he pulled away he could see Yuto waiting for him, his friends brows furrowed, lips pursed, his stance radiating wrongness, and Keito felt the concern pull him back to reality, and he pulled away.

"I've got to go."

"But..."

"Something's wrong." Keito shifted, standing and pulling Daiki up with him, steadying him before slipping out the door, Yuto immediately starting off, down the hall, Keito rushing to keep up with him, Yuto talking as he went, his voice apologetic, and slightly upset.

"I know you guys needed some time, I'm sorry, but you need to know...it's your mom. She was fine in the morning, but last night she wasn't feeling well, and now..." A pit dropped in Keito's stomach, Yuto's words striking fear in his heart. "She's really sick Keito. We don't know how she got it, but..." His voice trailed off, an apology written all over his face, pitying him. Internally, Keito swore, and he asked

"Where is she?"

"Your parent's room. C'mon." Yuto broke into a run, Keito keeping stride with his leggy friend, until they reached the door to his mother's room, and they both stopped, catching their breaths. There was a silence, and once Keito had his breath, he entered the room. It was still, the only sound ragged, stuffed up breathing. He approached the bed, the sound of his footsteps causing his mother to turn her head, and he finally got a good look at her. She was shivering, her body covered in a sheen of sweat, her eyes hazy, face pale. It was shocking. She had seemed fine just yesterday morning. She had been able to work, and now...

"Ken..." Keito froze, but his mother smiled up at him, and said

"You came back. You came back to us. It's been hard Ken. Keito, he's worked so hard. I've missed you. It's been hard without you." Her words fell like lead into his stomach, and he didn't know what to do, what to say. He felt tears well in his eyes as the thought registered—_She thinks I'm dad._ He swallowed the lump in his throat, whispering

"Go to sleep, get some rest...Katsue. Focus on getting better, okay?" He took a deep breath, relieved when she nodded, buying down under the covers until only her forehead was showing. He stood there for a moment, eyes grazing over the mop of black hair splayed out across the pillow, panic welling up inside of his chest. He slipped out the door, barely making it out into the hallway before breaking down completely, the weight of the last few days tearing him apart. He didn't cry, but he leaned back against the wall, despair threatening to drown him. His world was crumbling. His father was a terrorist, his mother so ill she didn't recognize him, his home had burnt to the ground, and his boyfriend, the man he loved, was probably obligated to throw his family in jail. He was running out of things to hold on to.

He didn't know when he had sunk to the floor, but he was grateful when Yuto pulled him to his feet, saying

"Let's get some food in you, c'mon." He led Keito down the hall toward the kitchen, all the while saying

"She'll be okay. The sickness will pass soon, mom made her a special soup. We just have to help out a bit more with her stuff until she's back on her feet." And just like that, Yuto granted him a goal. He had to hold himself together, because his mother needed him to keep, not only all of the paperwork in order, but do the actual sewing as well. The clothes weren't going to mend themselves. Without further ado he scarfed down the breakfast Mrs. Nakajima placed in front of him and returned to his mothers work room, ignoring his mastiff muscles and puffy eyes, and getting to work, first cataloging the clothes that needed repairing, then setting to work mending them one by one. As he worked his eyes caught on the half finished shell of fabric that was intended to be the princess' wedding dress. His mother had just started the beading, bits of bright blue crystal sewn in with the pale white. The dress was going to be a stunning creation.

It was just past lunch when he was joined by company. Yuto popped his head in, announcing

"We came to help!" He entered, being trailed by Prince Chinen and Daiki.

"What can we do?" Keito was taken aback.

"Um...these are finished, you could deliver them back to their owners...I guess." He gestured to the stack of patched up clothing, tying the knot in his thread and biting off the end, folding the garment and moving on to his next item. Yuto nodded, grabbing a stack of clothes, Prince Chinen mimicking him, and the two exited, leaving him alone with Daiki. The older young man grabbed a shirt from the stack of items that needed to be repaired, examining the holes, as he said

"Yuto told us about your mom." Keito looked up in surprise. Daiki's voice was even lower that usual, grave even, and when their eyes met he felt Daiki's empathy wash over him.

"Keito, I'm so sorry...about everything. You don't deserve any of this." Keito felt the suppressed emotions churning in his stomach, and he stared blankly down at the fabric in his hands, trying to pull himself together. Daiki shifted, coming closer, and he said

"Tell me what you need me to do. I'll do anything, just—please....I don't know what to do." Keito wrapped one arm around Daiki's middle, pulling him close, until he felt his head rest on Daiki's ribcage, and he buried his face in it, as hot tears started burning his eyes, and he quivered on the edge of breaking down again, but he bit his lip, and breathed in the warm comforting scent of Daiki, and held the hopelessness at bay. Daiki carded his fingers through Keito's hair, one hand gently rubbing Keito's shoulder, and they stayed like that for a long time.

In the next week Prince Chinen, Daiki, and Yuto all played big parts in helping Keito maintain his parents' jobs. They all even learned how to sew. Chinen explained that all of the brothers would be helping, except that the rest of them had taken off for the Northern Kingdom early the morning after Keito and Daiki's fight, with a crazy scheme to rescue Prince Rensuke from the terrorists. Every night after work they would sit up, looking for some glimpse of the other prince's, returning from their mission, Yuto looking extremely worried, until Prince Chinen fell asleep on the floor of the lookout tower. From there Keito and Daiki would always carry him to bed before crawling into bed themselves. They had taken to sleeping in Keito's room together, their bodies pressed close due to lack of space on his little mattress, legs intertwined, arms wrapped around each other as they slept. It was always too hot, any movement causing joints and bones to press into each other, but it was comforting. It was supportive. It felt to Keito like becoming two parts of the same one thing. It was good.

Finally, finally, Keito's mother started showing signs of recovery. One day her fever broke. Then the next day she got out of bed for a bit, and she ate a proper meal. Keito felt a weight lifting from his shoulders as her condition improved, and he realized just how scared he had been that she wouldn't get better. In the next week she started taking over her duties once more, and as she did Keito found he had more time to worry. What was going to happen now? How was the rescue attempt going? Had they saved the prince yet, or was he still in the hands of the terrorists? Was his father there? If he was, were they going to kill him? What was going to happen to him, and his mother now? He ran through scenarios in his head, and no matter what, he didn't see a way all of this could end well. One day, during his worrying, he had to ask

"What's the punishment for terrorizing the country?" His question startled Prince Chinen, and the littler boy looked up at him in surprise

"Um...hanging, or life in prison." Keito let that notion sink in. He could very possibly be spending the rest of his life in jail. The tiny prince wrapped his arms around Keito's broad shoulders. "Don't worry Keito. Daiki won't let that happen to you." Keito couldn't find the correct words he was supposed to say, they were drowned out by all of the wrong words, so he said nothing, turning over the idea of life imprisonment in his mind, beginning to feel sick. After a fashion however, Yuto burst in, announcing

"There's a letter! The others sent a letter!" And then everything was motion, the three of them taking off in a sprint for the King's office, Yuto and Keito skidding to a halt at the door, while Chinen burst in, asking

"What's happened? What'd they say?!" Keito barely caught a hint of Daiki's low voice before the door swung shut, blocking out all sound. The door stayed shut for a long time. Keito and Yuto leaned up against the door as they waited, straining to hear any snippet of news, their concern outweighing their manners. Keito couldn't make out any words, but he could hear the resonance of the three royal family members' voices, seriously discussing. Then, abruptly the door opened, knocking Keito back. Keito scrambled to his feet, embarrassment washing over him about being caught eavesdropping, at the door of the Kings office no less. Daiki slammed into him, going up on his tiptoes and wrapping his arms around Keito's neck, burying his face in the crook behind his ear, and Yuto just stared up at them from where he was still crouched by the door, taken aback by the suddenness of it all. Keito was afraid.


	22. Chapter 22

****

"Daiki, what happened? Is everyone okay? Did they find the prince?" The questions he really wanted to ask _Did they find my dad? Is he alive? Is he really a terrorist? Are they going to kill him? Are they going to arrest me? What about mom?_ those questions stuck in the back of his throat, prickling hot like tears and fear, unvoiced. After a moment, Daiki's grip loosened, and he stepped back, saying

"We need to talk." He glanced down at Yuto and jerked his head for the gangly boy to join them, and they all walked in silence to Daiki's room, Daiki making to shut the door behind them when Chinen slipped in. They all sat in a huddle on the carpet on the floor squished between the legs of the coffee table and the side of the bed in a small group, and there was a moment of silence, the anticipation palpable. Finally, Yuto broke it.

"So? What happened?! Did they find Prince Rensuke?" Chinen smiled, and nodded.

"Yeah, they found him. He's been rescued. Inoo got hurt in the rescue attempt, but he's been healing, and they're going to try to start heading back home in the next few days."

"Inoo got hurt?"

"Yeah. An arrow. He got shot." Daiki's voice sounded slightly strained, and the flicker of his eyes conveyed the terrible weight of the knowledge of Inoo's shooters identity. The justifiable hatred that threatened to tear them apart. Keito's father. There was a silence, weighted with this shared knowledge, unspoken. Finally, Keito forced out the words.

"Did they catch him?" Daiki caught his gaze, nodding slightly, and Keito let out a shaky breath, one he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Dark, heavy rocks fell into his stomach, a hopeless future carving itself out in front of him, void of love, company, and family. Oh. This was what it felt like to lose hope.

"They're going to bring him back with them, Keito. Your dad, I mean." Chinen told him, but it didn't matter now. Not really. He already knew what was going to happen in the end.

"When're they arresting Ayaki?" Yuto asked, and Chinen frowned.

"Dad wanted to do it immediately. But we're waiting until the rest come home." All of the information carried between the lines made Keito choke on his breath, and Daiki murmured

"Can you leave us alone for a while?" Yuto and Chinen left in silence, and it was only once the door had clicked shut behind them that Keito said

"He wanted to arrest my mother and I right now, today. You convinced him to wait." Daiki's face had grown hard, but he nodded, holding out a hand and pulling Keito from his seat on the floor to his feet.

"Why? It's going to happen eventually. That can't be helped." Keito found that he had a hard time looking at anything but his bare feet on the warm carpet.

"I'm going to keep you in my grasp as long as I possibly can Keito. I don't ever want to let you go." Daiki announced, his low voice rough with emotion, and he put a hand on Keito's waist, pulling him forward, using the other to cradle Keito's head, and he looked into Keito's eyes for a moment, their noses only millimeters apart, and Keito could see the love and devotion pouring from Daiki's heart, enveloping him, and he covered the last of the distance separating them, the kiss slow and bittersweet, and so full of love that Keito felt a tear roll down his cheek. When he finally broke the kiss, Daiki just pulled himself closer, wrapping his arms around Keito's neck, pulling his body up on top of Keito's own, warm and solid, and tender. Daiki pressed kisses down Keito's neck, and Keito pulled himself back onto the bed, as his breath caught in his throat, and he realized just how much he was going to miss this. Just the thought of losing Daiki made him feel like he couldn't breathe, his chest aching, as if he was suffocating.

"I love you. I love you so much, Daiki. So very much." He felt the words fall from his lips, and Daiki pulled back from Keito to look into his face once more, tears slowly making their way down his cheeks, and the short young man said in that beautiful deep voice of his

"I love you too Keito." Then, they were kissing, hands in hair and on skin, tears kissed and brushed away, bodies hot, and hard, and molding against one another. And when Keito finally took Daiki, it was not in a flurry of passion, and hormones, and lust. It was slow, and gentle, and careful, their hands intertwined, eyes locked, words of love falling from swollen lips, tender kisses reassuring each other. And afterward, when they fell asleep, it was together, legs in a tangle, Daiki's head tucked under Keito's chin, his arm possessively resting on Keito's bare hip, Keito's own arms pulling him to the taller boy’s chest as they slept.

Keito woke in the early morning, dusk just fringing the horizon. He pulled back from Daiki, just enough to take him in. The prince's hair was splayed across the pillow, his pink lips parted slightly, still a little bit swollen from their evening together. When Keito shifted, Daiki's little fingers gripped tightly on his hip, resisting, and Keito couldn't help but smile. He watched in wonder as the sun slowly rose, its light brightening the room and in turn brightening Daiki's skin. His eyes caught on the little bruise like mark he had left in the junction of Daiki's neck, and his mind began to review the events of their evening. It had been a perfect evening, something he would never forget, he was certain. He watched as Daiki's eyes slowly pulled open, and he grinned when Daiki caught sight of him, leaning in for a kiss, placing a gentle peck on his lips, before snuggling back down into the sheets.

"Good morning, lovely." He found himself murmuring, and Daiki smiled, reaching his hand up to brush a strand of hair out of Keito's eyes

"I love you." Daiki announced, and a little something inside Keito's stomach jumped, knowing the phrase was true, and loving the sound of it.

"I love you too." He murmured back, as Daiki nuzzled under his chin, and they shifted, Daiki resting his head on Keito's chest, his fingers tracing patterns onto Keito's skin, Keito's left arm wrapped snugly around his shoulders, and they cuddled, murmuring nonsense and gentle words, until Keito honestly began to feel that it was his duty, as a servant of the castle, to do_ something_ helpful. He adjusted to stand up, but as he grabbed the edge of the cover to peel them off it struck him that he was naked, and he froze. Daiki, who had been protesting with clinging arms and wet kisses on any part of Keito's skin he could reach, caught on to his realization immediately, feeling his body go tense under his lips.

"Keito, you have a beautiful body, don't be insecure about it." Daiki told him. "It's a shame that you wear clothes at all." Keito had to hold back a giggle at that one, and Daiki smiled against his shoulder blade, his little hands found where Keito's bigger ones were wrapped around the edge of the sheet, interlocking their fingers and resting his head on Keito's bare shoulder, turning and pressing their naked bodies together, chest to back, but as he turned his hips Keito felt him catch his breath, wincing slightly. That didn't seem good.

"Dai-chan, are you okay?" Daiki's hum of affirmation didn't satisfy him.

"What's wrong?" He shifted, pulling away to get a good look at Daiki's face, twisting his torso to see. Daiki was blushing slightly, and there was a moment of silence, before embarrassed, he said

"I just...hurt...you are...bigger...than I was anticipating, and...after last night..." He paused, catching sight of the panic sweeping over Keito's face, and taking Keito's face in his hands, he began to backtrack. "I mean, it was perfect. It was amazing—so much more than I had ever believed, and I'll never forget it." He rolled his hips, wincing again. "It's just that I might need some help getting up and down the stairs for a few days." Keito wasn't ready to accept that. To be okay with Daiki in any sort of pain, but Daiki grinned at him, and murmured in his deep, sweet voice

"I am _fine, _Keito. Really. I've been more sore from boxing workouts."

Twenty minutes later, Keito, newly bathed and dressed in his clothes from the day before, was helping a newly bathed and dressed Daiki down their first flight of steps.

"I take what I said back. This is the most sore I have ever been in my entire life. Ever." Daiki announced, pausing after step seven, hand gripping the railing, and Keito backtracked up the stairs, getting behind Daiki and sweeping him up off of his feet, Daiki letting out a yelp of surprise, and clinging to Keito's shirt as Keito swayed slightly, trying to gain his balance. It took a moment, but soon they were off, down the steps.

"I've got you." Keito told him, taking it slowly, making sure he wouldn't tip forward and fall.

They spent the days wrapped up in each other. Of course, Yuto managed to figure out the reason for Daiki's limp almost immediately, squealing in shock, Keito burying his face in his arms, as Yuto congratulated him and Daiki on the step in their relationship. He didn't think he could get any more embarrassed, until Daiki made a comment about how good Keito was in bed, and he literally found himself under the table, as his boyfriend and best friend burst into a fit of uncontrollable giggling.

Needless to say, Daiki had a hard time getting around for almost a week, Keito helping him up and down stairs, and fetching things for him occasionally. It worried him just how affected Daiki had been by their evening, but Daiki claimed that it was "inevitable, due to the fact that his body simply was not used to that type of exercise". Too often he'd find himself welling up with affection and love, those feelings tinged harshly with a fear of his future, an anxiety about their eminent separation, and a great sadness over the destruction of his family. These things haunted him in his sleep, and he and Daiki took to sleeping in his bed, Daiki's head nestled up under is chin, the precious prince's scent calming, the familiar shape of his body warm and safe. Therefore, on the sixth day, when Keito woke in his tiny little bed, arms wrapped around a pillow occupying the space Daiki had been in when he had shut his eyes, he was concerned. He went about his day as usual; Yuto by his side. It was nice to spend time with his best friend. Yuto was the best, most good person. He loved him very much, but when it came time for dinner, and he still hadn't seen or heard from Daiki, he got rather anxious. Well, anxious wasn't quite the right word, he conceded. He was distressed. He'd become used to seeing and being around Daiki almost all day. Certainly every day. And soon...soon he'd never be able to see him again.

"Keito, come with me for a minute." Yuto took Keito's hand, heading down the hall for a couple of steps before stopping again.

"Wait....shut your eyes." Keito's curiosity was piqued now, but he did as he was told, and Yuto lead him on, taking him around, before finally pulling him through a pair of doors, and letting go of his hand.

"Now, count to ten, and open your eyes." Yuto gave him a quick hug, and left, Keito hearing him retreat back through the doors they had just entered. He was confused, but he just stood there, eyes closed, and murmured

"One...two...three...four..." The room was silent apart from his counting, evening was falling, and the scent of good food was in the air. "...eight...nine...ten." Slowly, with much anticipation, he opened his eyes. He was in the ballroom, and Daiki was in front of him, down on one knee. Ripples of shock ran through his body, numbing him to the situation, disbelieving it, as Daiki started talking.

"Keito, ever since I first laid my eyes on you I knew you were somehow special. Now, all of this time later, I can say that you are the most selfless, generous, thoughtful person I have ever met in my entire life. You are handsome, and gentle, and strong, and you complete me in ways I didn't even know I needed. You are good, and you have helped me to be good, and taught me how to love. You are the best thing in my life, and I am totally, and irrevocably in love with you." The prince paused, reaching one hand inside his pocket, before he continued, and for a moment a wave of fear washed over Keito as the thought registered._ Oh no. He—he's not proposing, right?! We can't get married. Any minute now his brothers could come home, and my parents and I will be arrested, and sentenced to a life in prison, or worse, hung, for my dad’s crimes. He can't—We can't__—_

"Now, I'm not going to ask you to marry me. In light of recent circumstances, Yuto has informed me that a marriage proposal on my part would only make you sad, and Keito, you sad is the last thing I want, so I'm just going to ask you this..." Daiki took a chain out of his pocket with a tiny golden ring hung on it, holding it out in the palm of his hand. "Keito, will you be the love of my life?" He took a shuddering breath, his cute, lovely, perfect eyes searching Keito's face, hopeful, nervous, happy, and loving, and Keito felt a tear run down his own cheek, and, unable to speak, he nodded, as that one tear turned into an army, following in rapid succession town his burning cheeks. Daiki broke into a blinding grin, and he stood, clasping the necklace around Keito's neck, the little ring thumping him lightly right under the hollow of his throat, cold against his skin. He wrapped his arms around Daiki, the smaller young man pulled fiercely to his chest, and he bit his lip, squeezing his eyes shut in an attempt to stop the tears._ I love you. I love you. I love you._

Slowly, after a long moment, Daiki pulled back, digging his hand back into his pocket, and he pulled out a similar chain with a matching golden ring, this ring larger, and he held it out to Keito.

"Will you put this on me?" Quickly, roughly, Keito brushed away the tears, nodding again and taking the chain from Daiki, unhooking the clasp and fitting it around Daiki's dainty neck, and immediately Daiki's fingers flew to the ring, and he traced it with his fingertips. Keito had one small question.

"Why are they different sizes?"

"Because, this one—" Daiki pointed to the ring hanging around Keito's neck "is made to fit my finger, and this one—" this time he clutched at the ring fastened around his own neck "is made to fit yours. They're wedding rings." And then they were kissing, lips molding together, Daiki's hands cupping Keito's face, and this, Keito thought, was the happiest moment in all of his life.


	23. Chapter 23

"I have dinner waiting." Daiki told him in between kisses, and after two or three more he pulled back, intertwining their hands and dragging Keito back to the adjoining kitchen, where sure enough, a small table was set for two, next to an open window, a gentle breeze drifting through, carrying with it the scent of fresh bread, and fish, and they took their places, using their right hands to eat, keeping their left hands connected across the small spans of the table. They were about halfway through their meal, Daiki jokingly trying to get Keito to refer to the King as 'Dad' when behind Daiki, through the window, Keito noticed a large group of people and horses almost at the castle stable, and disbelief washed over him for the second time that night.

"Daiki, they're back." Daiki's joking grin dropped, and he blinked in confusion.

"Your brothers, they're back." Daiki stood, turned, his gaze locked on the window, and when he saw them he gasped, bolting out of the room. Keito too stood, watching as the mass of people mulled around the stable entrance, picking out familiar figures. There was Prince Ryutaro, and Yabu-kun. Prince Inoo and Prince Yamada, and—he froze when he caught sight of his father, filthy but healthy looking, wrists chained behind his back, with guards attached at each elbow, glaring at some unfamiliar northern soldier. He tore his eyes away. He should inform the others. He broke out in a run, Daiki's ring thumping against his chest with every stride, and he tore into the dining hall, announcing

"Prince Inoo and his brothers are back!" Prince Chinen sprang from his seat, letting out a small squeak of excitement, and ran from the room. Yuto too stood, and at a slower pace they made their way toward the side castle door closest to the stable. They were almost there when they were stopped by none other than the king himself. Immediately, they fell into bows, but the king just said "See what's taking my sons so long, would you?" With a smile to Yuto, before continuing on his way. Keito pushed open the door, taking in the reunion, finding himself unable to speak. Instead Yuto passed along the King's message, before pulling Keito off the steps and stepping out to join them, Yuto immediately taking a place next to Prince Yamada's side. Keito lost Daiki in the mass of people and movement for the front door, and he found himself falling further and further behind, until he was bringing up the rear, afraid to see the end of his free life burning away in the smiles of these loving people and the terrifying gaze of his father.

They all reentered the castle through the main doors, the King waiting for them, a warm smile on his face as he greeted his sons, Keito slipping through the doors as the northern King expressed his gratitude to the Northern Kingdom's ruler, creeping to the right edge of the entryway, unnoticed in the proceedings. Then, an ear splitting shriek jolted through the festivities, and Keito turned to see Princess Ayaki, rage smattered across her face, as two palace guards rushed for her, grabbing her as the King announced

“You are under arrest for treason towards your kingdom, terrorism, and the attempts on 3 royal lives.” She just screamed again, nearly drowning out the words, eyes searching frantically for something, someone, to stand up for her. Suddenly another voice joined Ayaki's, a fearful yell coming from the hallway. The sound of it put Keito into motion, one though on his mind. _MOM!_

She was being held by two palace guards, one holding her wrists behind her back, the other with a firm hand on her shoulder. She was looking at them in fear and confusion, but they held no sympathy, and when they caught sight of Keito one of them lunged for him, seizing him by the arm, his hand rough, and Keito winced at the grip as the man started reciting

“You are under arrest for—”

“No!” Stunned, Keito had no time to react, as Daiki pushed through the throng of people, pulling Keito away from the guard, putting his body between them. Gasps and murmurs broke out, and Daiki was furious “I won’t let you—"

“Daiki!” The King's voice was sharp, confused and angry. “What’s going on here?”

"Daiki, it's okay, just..." Keito's frantic whispers fell on deaf ears as Daiki turned to face his father, his hand still on Keito's arm, desperation and anger rivaling for dominance in his voice as he said

“Dad, they’re trying to arrest—"

“And what’s the problem?” The King cut him off.

“They’re innocent.” Daiki's words were solid, cutting, full of confidence. Keito felt the dread tangled around his internal organs twitch, and he launched into another whispered mantra of "Please, it's okay...you don't have to...you shouldn't..."

“Daiki, please don’t—"

"Just because their dad did what he did doesn’t mean they’re involved!” Daiki was nearly yelling at his father, his voice almost harsh, his conviction spilling over as he spoke. “They didn’t know this was happening, I promise. They didn’t do anything wrong." Daiki was almost yelling, the gaze he fixed his father with solid, intimidating. He released his grip on Keito's arm to lace their fingers together, squeezing his hand so tightly Keito felt his circulation begin to strain within seconds, but he gripped back just as hard, the unspoken message clear. _I love you. I know._

“But Daiki, it’s dangerous.” The King told his son, as if willing him to see reason. Daiki remained unchanged, and his father frowned, before tentatively saying

“We… We’ll have a trial for them. Tomorrow morning, alright?” Daiki narrowed his eyes suspiciously, pulling Keito's hand close to him, and the King added

“Nothing will happen to them over the night. I promise.” Those words were enough. Daiki slowly stepped back, loosening his grip on Keito's hand but not quite letting go. The palace guard once again put a rough hand on Keito's shoulder, this time forcing Keito's arms behind his back, forcing Keito to let go of Daiki's hand, and Keito felt cold iron cuffs encircle his wrists, and heard the clank of the chain, and fear ballooned in his chest. He was shoved in the direction of the dungeon, and he couldn't help but take one last glance of Daiki over his shoulder, trying to memorize the way he looked, just in case...just in case it would be the last time he would see him ever again.

"Keito...Keito, do you know what happened? Why are they doing this to us?" Were the first words out of his mothers mouth, as soon as they were left alone. They had been put in cells side by side, unable to see each other, bars making up the wall adjoining the hallway. There weren't any guards in the immediate area, so he spoke, hoping to calm her.

"It's because of Dad. He...they found him. He was involved in a terroristic plot along with Princess Ayaki against the kingdom. And...they think...we might be in cahoots with them." His words were only met with silence for long stretched out minutes. Then, softly, she said

"So now they're holding a trial for us tomorrow...and we need to prove that we're innocent. That we didn't know anything about Ken's plans." There was a pause. "Oh Ken, why? Why would he—" Her voice was getting that slightly shrill pitch it got when she was upset, on the brink of tears. Keito put a hand on the wall, wishing he could offer her comfort.

"I'm sorry Mom."

Dusk quickly faded into night, a guard came by with a tray of soup for their dinner, and afterward Keito curled up in a ball on the stone floor, the rock sapping heat from his body, and he tried to sleep. He mostly felt sick, like he was going to vomit. Hours stretched through the thick bars of the cell achingly slowly. Eventually he heard the comforting sound of his mothers breathing, soft and even. At least one of them would get some sleep.

Yet somehow, at the crack of dawn he found himself blinking in the light, and he sat up, every muscle stiff and cold from laying on the hard ground. He felt fatigued, exhausted with fear and stress, but he just sat and waited for a change. Sure enough, within the hour he and his mother were being led back up out to the ground floor of the castle, to the front meeting room, where the King, his advisors, a scribe, and more guards than Keito would like to count were all waiting for them. He stood next to his mom, and he could feel her shaking, as she faced the King. Immediately they both bowed low, staying down until he told them to rise, the chains from their cuffs jangling as they stood tall.

"Now, let us begin; you are Katsue Okamoto, formerly Katsue Nishi, are you not?"

"Yes, your majesty."

"And _you_ are Keito Okamoto, son of Kenichi Okamoto and Katsue Okamoto, is that correct?"

"Yes, your majesty." And so the questions began. Hours and hours of questioning, sometimes the same question as had been asked twenty minutes previous, just to see if they'd slip up and say a different answer. Keito ended up telling him everything—his less than stellar relationship with his father, the relationship he was having with the King's middle child, and every possible memory he had pertaining to any question the King asked. His mother as well was brutally honest, and honestly Keito felt that they both learned more about the others romantic life than they would have liked. His stomachs growling grew more and more insistent, his eyes aching with lack of sleep, his chest tight with nerves, and then finally, the King said

"That will be all." The king and his advisors all retreated to a large table stretched along the back wall, and Keito and his mother could only stand and wait in silence at the other end of the room, stomachs knotted with nerves. Keito tried to let his mind wander. their fate was out of their hands. He glanced out of the long narrow windows. It must be around noon, the sun high in the sky. He tried to focus on guessing the exact time of day, something to keep his mind busy. His attention was drawn back to the table however, when the mass of people all stood up, gathering the pages of dialogue the scribe had provided them with, and shutting their law books, and Keito felt that he might be sick.

"We have come to a verdict." The King announced, and one of the guards nodded, slipping out of the room. He must have made some announcement, because a moment later the doors behind Keito were thrown open, and he heard the sounds of many pairs of feet entering the room. He wanted to turn, to see who it was, but he didn't dare look away from the king. Once the shuffling of feet had stopped, the King began to speak.

“Your father was involved in horrible treachery. The two of you however, have shown no displays of treason, want to commit treason, or events of past treason toward your kingdom, so we have no reason to believe anything except that you two are innocent.” Keito felt relief rush through his body, but at the Kings next words he froze.

"But...your father was involved in horrible treachery. For the safety of my family more than anything else, I will have to ask you to leave this castle, with guards escorting you out. I'm sorry, but this is how it has to be." Keito considered the results. He couldn't have hoped for anything better. It was fair. His mother would be safe. He was strong, he could find work, and then—

"What... No! You can't do that!" The yell came from behind him, the voice a shock. _Daiki?!_


	24. Chapter 24

He glanced back over his shoulder. The entirety of both royal families, Yabu, and Yuto were all standing there, Daiki in the front, a desperate look on his face.

"Please reconsider. Dad, he won't hurt me." Daiki was begging, and his gaze swept over Keito, distraught, one hand clutching at the chain dangling from his neck. The king however, was firm.

"Daiki, I've thought over this, and while I believe in their innocence, I can't risk any of you getting injured or killed by any of the surviving terrorists. Offspring or otherwise."

"They aren't terrorists." Daiki insisted. His voice was growing hard, as it did when he was preparing for a fight. Keito heard him walking closer, and then a familiar warm, small hand slipped into his own, and Daiki announced "If you make Keito go, then you're forcing me to leave as well."

"Son-" The king started to protest, but Keito cut him off, desperate.

"Daiki, no." Daiki couldn't do this. He wasn't going to take Daiki from this place, from a place where he could live in happiness, and security, surrounded by his wonderful family. He tried to twist his fingers out off Daiki's grip, the chain on his cuffs clanking as he did, but Daiki refused to budge. He tried desperately to make him understand. "This... This palace is your life. Your future. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I took a promising life from you."

"We... We've been together for this long, and you still don't get it?!" Daiki turned to face him, his gaze confidant full of love, and strength, and he gave Keito's hand a squeeze. "I love you Keito. You are my future." He turned to his father, announcing

"Either it's none of us, or both of us. We're a set-take it or leave it." The king seemed stunned by the ultimatum, eyes searching Daiki's face, then sweeping over Keito, as it trying to figure out what about him had made his middle son do this.

"Daiki I love you too but... Please don't do this." Keito was begging. "You need to stay here." Daiki ignored his words, staring up at his father, daring him to kick them out. The king was becoming flustered

"Well, I definitely have no idea what's going on here. But... Daiki, I can't kick you out. I just... I can't do that to you. And I've had no reason to doubt the two of you personally, but..." The king paused, seriously considering the situation. "I... It'll take time, but for now, I'll trust you. Until otherwise, you can stay."

His announcement was met with a whoop from Prince Chinen, the others quickly joining in, clapping and cheering. Keito felt his mother relax, all of the tension draining out of her. Keito couldn't believe it. It was a miracle. There, in front of everyone, Daiki pulled Keito in for a kiss, his free hand tangling in Keito's hair, holding him close as he kissed him. When they pulled apart he left the hand on Keito's cheek, cupping his face.

"You can stay..." He murmured, grinning. Keito felt a smile blooming across his own face, and he was about to lean in and kiss Daiki again, when the king's voice took their attention.

"Daiki." Daiki froze, turning to his father.

"What would you have done if I had made Okamoto-kun go? If I'd said you had to leave?" The king wanted to see just how serious Daiki was. Daiki narrowed his eyes, face going cold, and he took a protective step in front of Keito, and he announced harshly

"I'll go pack then." _Oh._ Everyone seemed stunned, and Keito felt all of their eyes on the two of them, but he didn't care. He pulled Daiki into an awkward hug, lifting his chained wrists over the top of Daiki's head and pulling him close, burying his nose in Daiki's shoulder, fighting to keep the tears from spilling over. They only pulled apart when the king stood, beckoning them over to a corner of the room, where, after removing Keito's cuffs, he proceeded to give the two of them a very embarrassing talk about sex, and its many aspects. He was finishing up, when Daiki got a mischievous grin on his face.

"Wait, dad...are you saying all of this because—is Keito moving in to my room?!"

"Why of course son. If this boy is going to be your future husband, we can't have him staying with the servants. I thought that was what you wanted." Keito was stunned. He bowed low, thanking the king profusely for his kind words. Daiki gave his father a hug, and the man smiled, saying

"Now, why don't you go move him in, okay?" Keito barely had time for one last thank you, before Daiki was dragging him by the hand over to where the rest of them, including his mother, were all standing. He pulled her into a hug, and she laughed, kissing him on the cheek. Relieved, she said

"Keito, you go celebrate. I'm going to go get something to eat, and take a nap."

"Okay mother." He brushed a stray hair out of her eye, and she left, Yuto tackling Keito in a hug, tears streaming down his face.

"Keito...thank god." Was all he got out before he was sobbing. There were some chuckles, but Keito pulled him close, squeezing his friend tightly. Once Yuto had wiped his tears and let Keito go, Daiki announced

"Keito's moving into my bedroom. Help me move his stuff." With everyone's help Keito's things were all packed up and moved within twenty minutes, his things looking plain and insignificant, out of place amidst all of all of Daiki's more lavish things. He stared at his pile of clothes—the ones Yamada and Daiki had picked out for him, the day that Daiki had taken his hand...and changed his life forever. That day felt like a lifetime ago. Daiki slipped his small hand into Keito's larger palm, lacing their fingers together, tilting his head back and peering up at his face.

"A penny for your thoughts." He said, and Keito smiled, looking down at the prince. His prince.

"I was just thinks about you." He pulled Daiki in for a hug, placing a kiss on his forehead.

"Hey guys, lunch is ready. I'm supposed to be telling everyone." Yuto announced, strolling in. Keito smiled and pulled back from Daiki's embrace, Yuto's words reminding him of just how hungry he was, his stomach growling in response to the realization. Yuto's eyes scanned he room.

"Where's everyone else?"

"The youngest all left together, they went to go spy on Takaki and Inoo—we think they're _finally_ going to admit that they're crushing on each other. I don't know about the rest though." Daiki informed him. Yuto giggled and nodded, slipping out of the room. Daiki turned back to Keito.

"Ready to go eat?"

"Oh, yes."

They made their way down to the front lawn to find Hikaru and Yabu sitting on a picnic blanket, an amazing feast surrounding them in large baskets. It wasn't long before the other boys all showed up and the picnic was in full swing. Honestly, Keito wasn't really focused on the conversation, his attention placed solely on the delicious sandwich in his hands, until Prince Yamada pulled Yuto in for a surprise kiss, effectively announcing to the rest of them that they were in a relationship. Yuto as grinning ear to ear, despite the blush blooming across his face as Yamada wrapped a possessive arm around his hips. Keito caught his eyes, and gave him a discreet thumbs up. Yuto's grin just got bigger.

That night the whole group snuck out onto the stable roof, everyone splayed out on their backs, staring up at the stars. Daiki had his head resting on Keito's stomach, and in low tones he'd describe the constellations up in the sky, pointing to them and explaining their meanings and histories with conversational gestures. The warm night breeze was tickling Keito's eyelashes, and he contented himself with feeling Daiki's body on top of his, chest expanding and contracting with every breath he took. In fact, he'd nearly forgotten that the others were there when suddenly, somewhere in the vicinity of his right ankle, there was a loud sigh, and Hikaru's voice said

“Everything is so perfect. It’s just the five of us again, Daiki’s got Keito in his bed," At that Keito covered his face in his hands, hiding the blush. "you’re here with me." This Hikaru was saying to Yabu, lacing their fingers together as he spoke. “Everything...except,” Hikaru shot up, pointing dramatically at where Prince Takaki and Inoo were lying next to each other, hands intertwined discreetly. “Everything except you two!”

“What’s wrong with us exactly?” Inoo asked, sass creeping into his voice. At this point most of them were pulling themselves to sitting positions to get a proper look at the exchange. Hikaru pouted.

“C’mon Inoo! I know you’ve liked Takaki since...forever, and Takaki, whether you realize it or what you like Inoo, a lot, so just…confess your undying love to each other or something!” That statement end both of the boys involved into fits of laughter, and over it all Chinen announced

“They already have.”

“What?! Nobody tells me anything around here.” Hikaru narrowed his eyes mischievously at the two laughing princes.

“I don’t believe you.” Then, mid laugh, Prince Takaki planted a kiss on Inoo's lips. The two boys shared some quiet words, Inoo placing another kiss on Prince Takaki's lips, and the topic was closed. Five minutes later, Keito was asleep.

Keito woke up in bed, next to his partner of five years. He kissed the smooth eyelids, watching as Daiki groaned, flopping about, naked except for the small chain with the golden ring he kept around his neck, all tangled up in the sheets, before finally opening his eyes, grinning when he saw Keito's face.

"Good morning baby." Daiki said, his low voice gravely with sleep. Keito grinned, brushing a strand of hair out of Daiki's eyes.

"Good morning. Happy anniversary." He planted a kiss on Daiki's lips. Daiki grinned, propping his head up with one hand, his elbow digging into his pillow.

"Does that mean I get some morning sex?" He asked, and Keito chuckled, and rolled over onto his back, digging inside of his side table drawer.

"One minute, okay?" Keito said, nerves trying to take hold as his fingers clasped the little velvet box. He shifted back so that he was facing Daiki, and he took a deep breath.

"Daiki, all those years ago you asked me if I would be the love of your life. I cannot deny that you were always, and will always be the love of mine. I cannot think of a life without you by my side, and...I don't want to. Please Daiki, stay with me forever." He took the little box in both hands, pulling the lid up to reveal the tiny diamond ring inside.

"Daiki Arioka, will you marry me?" Daiki's eyes flew wide, and he stared at the little ring, his breath suddenly shaky. He looked up into Keito's eyes and said

"Yes. Always, yes." Keito felt happiness flood through his body, and he plucked the ring from its cushion, taking Daiki's hand in his and gently slipping the ring onto his finger.

"I love you." Daiki said, and he pulled Keito on top of him, Keito's legs straddling his hips, pinning his arms above his head, their fingers intertwined, the new ring glinting in the morning light.

"I love you too." Keito murmured, and Daiki pushed up to him for a kiss, and the world was perfect.


End file.
